Justice is ServED
by ReinaKage
Summary: After Edd's parents die in an accident, he moves back to Peach Creek and finds work with the Peach Creek Police Department's Forensics team. Feeling good about this opportunity he goes into his first day with a smile, ready to prove himself and make his late parents proud. Unfortunately, things just aren't that easy. Contains a healthy dose of Nat (c2ndy2c1d)
1. It Begins with an Ed

**Justice is ServEd**

 _It Begins with an Ed_

Summary: After Edd's parents die in an accident, Edd moves back to Peach Creek, finding work with the Peach Creek Police Department's Forensics team. Feeling good about this opportunity Edd goes in to his first day with a smile, ready to prove himself and make his late parents proud. Unfortunately, things don't always go the way Edd wants and he finds himself facing many obstacles from past and present.

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot and most of the OC's._

* * *

 _Beep, beep, beep, beep…_

Ocean blue eyes fluttered open sleepily at the slow beeping of an alarm clock and a soft yawn was barely heard over the quiet beeping. A pale thin arm lifted from underneath the light blue comforter to gently tap the off button before retreating back underneath the warm layer of cloth and hazy with sleep eyes closed slowly. A quiet sigh filled the room before the rustle of fabric and a tall lanky figure sat up in the bed in the center of the room. A bit longer than shoulder length black hair fell softly around slim shoulders and a long-fingered hand ran through long bangs pushing them back out of his eyes before a jet black beanie with two white stripes along one side was placed over the mess, hiding all but the ends from view.

"Good morning Jim, did you sleep well?" Eddward Vincent voiced quietly to his potted cactus plant sitting on the window sill on the left side of the room. A small gentle smile spread onto a smooth pale face as the man stood up from his bed and turned around to make it. Once it was perfectly smooth with blankets tucked in carefully, he then slowly removed his light blue pajama pants and button-up shirt, folded them neatly and placed it on top of his pillow for use tonight. Edd shuffled over to his dresser where his dark blue jeans rested neatly folded upon the wooden piece of furniture. Picking them up he shook any wrinkles out despite having ironed the jeans the night before and slipped them on pulling them up to rest on slim hips.

Glancing out the window to the outside he smiled at the orange-red hues that had begun to overrun the blues and purples as the sun inched further up into the sky from the horizon. Making his way to his closet he opened the door and pulled out a freshly ironed white button-up shirt along with a black sweater vest. He checked the time on his alarm clock, quickly put on his shirt and sweater and after a pause grabbed a black belt and looped it through his jeans before pulling on some socks and leaving his room.

Crossing the hall, he walked into the bathroom, flicked on the light and grimaced at the brightness stabbing his still sleepy eyes. After relieving himself he washed his hands and then brushed his teeth until his watch beeped softly signaling that he could spit. Checking his reflection out in the mirror he nodded slightly, pleased with his appearance before turning off the light and leaving the room, closing the door behind him. After walking down the stairs at the end of the hall he entered the kitchen and grabbed a bag from the fridge with his lunch for the day and set it next to his car keys, wallet, and charging cell phone. Sitting at the table in the middle of the room, he reached for a banana and orange and began peeling them.

Popping a slice of orange into his mouth he smiled as he thought about his upcoming day. Today was Edd's first day at work and he was excited! He was going to be replacing one of the forensic technicians at the Peach Creek police department who was quitting before her baby was to be born. She apparently wanted to stay at home and focus on her family for the time being. He would train with her for the week and then she would leave it to him. It was satisfying to have a great job opportunity so soon after graduating from university, Edd just wished his parents were here to witness it.

After finishing up his orange and banana, he went into the living room and gazed with a sad smile at a picture on the wall. About two months before graduation, Edd's parents had been involved in a terrible accident killing them both instantly. Despite not spending as much time with them as Edd would have liked, he had still been devastated at the news. He'd thrown himself more so into his studies until graduation and a few weeks later made the decision to move back to Peach Creek and live in his childhood home instead of selling it. He held fond memories of this house and felt he'd made the right decision.

Things had been less than okay right before moving back and Edd found he couldn't be happier, even if he was alone. He hadn't told anyone he moved back. Eddy and Ed would be the only ones he thought might care but they were no longer in Peach Creek. The intelligent Edd didn't even have a way of contacting either of them after they all stopped talking. It was a gradual thing, each of them busy with their lives and not being able to find the time to just chat with one another. There wasn't any animosity between them though. Any time they were able to meet up or talk, it was as if they'd never lost touch in the first place. No, Ed and Eddy would always be Edd's best friends and brothers, but he understood they had their own lives now.

A soft alarm sounded in the kitchen and the skittish man jump slightly at the sudden noise. "Oh, it's time to go mother, father, I start my new job today! Well, I'm off." he whispered to the picture of the smiling faces before leaving the room and grabbing his keys. He put his phone and wallet in his pockets and made his way through the door in the kitchen to the garage. Not long after he was on his way to the Peach Creek Police Station, a giddy smile on his face.

* * *

"Son of a bitch! Get back here!"

Breaking out into a run, Detective Kevin Barr raced after a big burly man as he took off down a side street on the north side of Peach Creek. The man, Jordon MacConnell, was wanted for questioning on a recent homicide and Kevin now knew he knew something, maybe not about the homicide but he had information, and Kevin wanted it. The redhead sprinted quickly, jumping over a trash can the man threw in his path and continued on as if nothing happened. He rounded a corner to see a large fist aimed for his head and immediately ducked, falling back on his butt as he lost his balance.

He rolled to the side to avoid the foot trying to stomp on him then swung a leg out in a sweep, kicking out the guy's other leg and making him fall on his face. Quickly jumping up and onto the man's back he hastily grabbed a muscled arm and pulled it back painfully as he grabbed his hand cuffs off his belt. He managed to get one silver bracelet around a beefy wrist but the guy lifted them up off the ground with his other hand and Kevin had to cling to his disgusting sweaty back so he wouldn't fall on his ass again.

"Damn it! Stay _down_!" he yelled through clenched teeth, kneeing the brute in the small of his back, sending him back to the dirt. Another few minutes of scuffling, Kevin was able to cuff the other arm and he sat down on the man's back to catch his breath and wait for his dumbass partner to catch up. Rolling his eyes as the sound of whining coming closer reached his ears, he lifted his black baseball cap off his head and ran a hand through shaggy red hair before placing it back on backwards. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, Kevin turned his head to glare at the teal-haired man that appeared around the corner huffing and sweating.

"Fuck, Kevin, the hell! Why'd you make him run?" whined Nathan Goldberg, Kevin's partner. The two met their first day at the Police Academy when Nat unabashedly hit on Kevin and grabbed his ass, earning him a punch to the face. They became fast friends after that and eventually partners once they graduated. They worked extremely well together, often knowing what the other needed without even speaking to one another. Kevin smirked at the man as he leaned against the brick wall trying to catch his breath.

"You needed the exercise dude, come on, let's get him to the station and question his stupid ass." Nat rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at his partner before bending over to help him lift the big brute off the ground. Kevin brushed the dirt that he could from his black jeans before straightening his black leather jacket over a dark green T-shirt.

One of the Kevin's favorite things about being a Detective, was that he could wear plain clothes, not that he didn't like the blue uniform but he really loved his leather jacket and his hat being backwards. It seemed a bit childish to continue to wear it like that but it was a habit for him, made him feel better, was comforting. In a job that was stressful and tough, Kevin believed it was okay to have this slightly juvenile obsession.

Walking a few blocks, they came to a black unmarked Dodge Charger and Nat shoved the big guy into the backseat before taking his place in the front while Kevin went to the other side and got in. The engine roared to life with a low growl before Kevin put it into drive and they made their way to the Peach Creek Police Station. It didn't take long to make it back to the station where they handed MacConnell off to a rookie to get him processed before questioning him. The two detectives headed to the break room to grab a coffee before the department briefing from the chief. They were getting a new Forensics guy to replace Martha and Kevin was a bit annoyed. Martha was a beast at processing evidence, there was no way some newbie was going to be as good as her and that irritated the hell out of him. As they walked out of the break room and across the crowded lobby filled with desks and people a loud shout sounded and the two looked up to see MacConnell rushing through the throng of people.

"Shit! Nat!" Kevin yelled not even bothering to look at the man before taking off after their suspect, pushing people out of his way. Nat signaled for several officers to follow him and made his way around the back to the front of the station to head him off. Nearing the suspect, Kevin drew his gun and trained it on MacConnell.

"Freeze!" he yelled loudly as a few people scurried out of his way. MacConnell did freeze but so did Kevin. Emerald eyes widened in shock at the sight that met his gaze. His suspect had a hostage.

* * *

Staring in awe at the lobby of the Peach Creek Police Department, Edd walked slowly toward the front desk where a young woman sat, a phone pressed to her ear as she nodded and wrote. Edd waited patiently for her to give him her attention and took his time taking in his surroundings. There were a few steps that stretched the length of the lobby leading up to a landing where the rest of the department was just pass several metal detectors and armed officers.

The station was exactly that - an old train station converted into a police department many decades ago and renovated within the last decade. The right front corner of the station housed several desks stacked with papers and other things that Edd wished to organize. Behind them were a couple small standalone cells that held people waiting to be processed by the many officers nearby.

Across the room there were more sections of desks and Edd wondered if maybe they were split up based on units, Homicide, Vice, etc. Standing on his toes slightly to look over the head of the nice woman who'd smiled politely at him, Edd saw toward the back a room lined with windows covered by blinds on one side of the open space and on the other side more windows stitched across the wall, but without the blinds Edd could see it was filled with different kinds of equipment if his eyesight was to be trusted.

"How may I help you?" The brunette at the desk said turning her attention to him with a smile as her short hair seated slight with her titled head. Smiling nervously at the woman as Edd turned his attention back to her and informed her that he was here to see the Police Chief Donald Pierce and Forensic Scientist Martha Wilkins.

"Oh! You must be Eddward Vincent, right?" she gasped smiling sweetly. Edd blushed lightly and nodded. "Well, aren't you adorable!" She squealed this, garnering the attention of some people passing by and a few of the officers watching the scanners chuckled, making Edd blush even more. He handed over his ID when she requested it before she gave it back and handed him a temporary ID badge which he clipped to the collar of his white button-up shirt.

"Mrs. Martha! This is Eddward come have a look at him!" Face still as red as a cherry the nervous man turned to see a short, plump woman with bright purple hair walk slowly toward him with the biggest grin on her face. Her brown eyes shined happily as she stopped in front of him and grabbed his cheeks lightly and squished them.

"Aw! So cute! Bridget he is positively adorable! Did you warn him to stay away from Nat yet?" The two women laughed and Edd was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. The short woman turned back to him and stuck her hand out for him to shake.

"Hello, Eddward, I'm Martha, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Edd smiled slightly at her and nodded. She seemed to be a very nice woman, strong and firm, like her hand shake, but Edd had only ever spoken with her over the phone. He had been unable to make it to the precinct for a face-to-face interview and they had to do it over the phone but she apparently liked him enough to give him a chance.

"Salutations, Mrs. Wilkins," he said softly before the woman laughed once more at him.

"Please, just call me Martha, I'm not that old yet!" Edd flushed and stuttered, trying to assure her that it was not his intention to imply that she was of old age but she merely laughed at him and pulled him along with her.

"Oh Eddward, you're too cute." They went through the security with ease and a bit of embarrassment on Edd's part as the officers teased him before they were slowly making their way through the main hall and all of the desks toward the Police Chief's office. Martha entered without knocking and introduced Edd to his new boss.

"Chief, this is Eddward, the replacement I chose." The Police Chief looked to be a stern man. Clean shaven, white hair cut short, nicely pressed uniform and a stern gaze that made Edd sweat a little.

"A pleasure to meet you Sir, you may call me Edd, i-if you wish," Edd mumbled as he clumsily shook the intimidating man's hand. Dark brown eyes narrowed at Edd before they crinkled in amusement.

"No need to look so scared there Edd, it's nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy working with us here. Martha, why don't you give him a tour of the labs and once you're done come get me and I'll continue with the rest of the tour before sending him back to you, how's that sound?" he looked at Edd with questioning eyes and the nervous man nodded hastily. The two chuckled at him causing him to turn red once more before he followed Martha out of the room and across the hall to the glass wall. Now he could see that there were several different rooms that stretched down the hall, each with different equipment.

"Alright darling, this is the DNA and Toxicology Lab, this is where you'll be spending your time." Edd nodded slowly looking around the room, taking everything in. The glass door he walked through faced the Chief's office but the left-hand wall of half windows looked out into the main lobby where a section of the desks were, but no detectives could be found. "Homicide is the closest to you, if you're wondering," Martha said motioning for Edd to walk around, "It would be good to get a better idea of your surroundings. Go on! Don't be shy! I'm sure you've used these machines before yes?"

Edd looked around the room after taking a few more steps inside. In the center of the room stood two empty tables about four feet apart and directly in front of him on the far wall was a desktop computer. The right wall was lined with cabinets, counters, a sink and towel dispenser and several machines that Edd couldn't wait to get his hands on. The left wall was lined with a workspace that lined the wall and a few more machines resided there as well. He noticed the lack of labels and made a mental note to ask Martha if he could add them later.

They left the room and headed into the next set of doors down the hall, on the right next to the Chief's office the door said CSI Unit Offices. They didn't go into through that door, Martha explained that they belonged to the Crime Scene Investigators that went out with the detectives to gather the evidence for their cases. They did however go through the left glass doors, into the Trace Lab where a tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair was standing in the middle of the room just staring into space.

"Hey Lil," Martha spoke getting the attention of the thin woman and grey eyes glared at Edd upon seeing him, making him feel like running from the room, "This is Edd, he'll be taking over for me so play nice." she admonished before turning back to Edd and introducing him to her.

"Edd, this is Lilian the Trace tech. She isn't a big fan of change or most men so just try and stay on her good side." The short woman smiled up at Edd and he nodded before extending his hand to shake hers, which she reluctantly took while rolling her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to me you, Lilian, I look forward to working with you," Edd smiled nervously at her, not even a bit bothered by her being at his eye level. The woman quirked an eyebrow at him but refused to let go of his hand.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked rudely, eyeing him like he was some weird specimen. Blue eyes blinked confused before Martha interrupted them.

"There's nothing wrong with him Lil! He was just raised with manners and respect! Trust me you'll love the kid, he's the best out of the bunch." The blonde woman just nodded curtly, dropping Edd's hand before turning around and ignoring them before a machine beeped and she moved gracefully across the room. Martha lead him from the room and back out into the hall.

"Lil is a bit quirky but once she gets to know you, trust me, she the most loyal person you'll ever meet." The two walked to the next room and a loud pop had Edd nearly jumping out of his skin. A squeak escaped his lips and his hand flew to his heart as Martha burst out laughing at his reaction. The terrified man looked at the door to see that it read Ballistics Lab and tried to calm himself down. He would never get used to this noise, especially it being so close to his lab. His internship location had the Ballistics Lab on the other side of the building and it was soundproofed, but this didn't appear to be the same.

Martha looked through the door after her laughter subsided to make sure it was safe before going through the door and motioning for Edd to do the same. Walking in he saw a woman a bit shorter than himself looking over a rather large gun in her hands muttering to herself. After setting the weapon on the table next to her she turned and saw the two by the door and a large smile spread across her face as she bounded over to them.

"Why Martha, it's good to see ya, what brings you down to my neck o' the woods here?" she said in a mild southern accent stopping in front of them and looking Martha over and then Edd before beaming up at him. Her long brown braid fell from her shoulder to swing behind her as her blue-green eyes filled with excitement.

"Hey Presley, just introducing the new guy to everyone. This is Edd, he'll be taking over for next week after I leave." A small frown fell upon her face and Edd was starting to feel like no one would like him here.

"I hate that yer leavin' Martha but I'm sure you picked the best person for the job." Presley said as she thrust her hand out at Edd with a smile on her face once more.

"The name is Presley, like Elvis, my mama was a bit obsessed with the man, but it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Edd. I look forward to workin' with ya." Edd returned the smile, grateful to have possibly made a friend.

"Greetings, I, too, look forward to work with you. If I may ask, where are you from?" He was intrigued by the way she spoke; it wasn't often you heard a dialect like this in Peach Creek.

"Me? I'm from good ol' Texas, lived on a farm and everythin'." She gave him a toothy smile and Edd nodded in thanks. "If ya ever need anything Edd don't hesitate to come an' ask. I'm betting Lil didn't leave much of an impression so it's probably best no to bother her with the small stuff ya know." Before Edd could reply they were interrupted by an officer coming through a set of double doors on the right-hand side of the lab with another large rifle.

"Ah, yes! That's the one I need! Thanks Joe. Well, Edd, the guns are callin' and I gotta case to help solve, I'll talk to ya later yeah?" she spoke quickly then bounced over to the slightly annoyed officer not really wanting to give the hyper woman the powerful gun he carried. Edd chuckled softly and allowed himself to be lead out of the room and across the hall. They stopped in front of the door and Martha looked at him a bit nervously. The door said Morgue and Edd didn't really want to go in there.

"We don't need to go in, I'm sure you'll meet the M.E. at some point. Honestly, it's probably best to not ever meet this one. She can be…odd is putting it nicely let's just say that. There's no point in scaring you off on your first day now is there?" she ended with a laugh but Edd felt his stomach twist. How weird was the Medical Examiner for her to say _that_? They went back down the hall and took a left once they were back in the loud main lobby toward the room with the blinds.

"This is the break room, there's coffee, tea, you name it, it might be there somewhere." They passed the room and continued on to the next room with a glass door reading Layout Room that merely housed a long table. Across the room was a set of double doors labeled Evidence Garage and Martha briefly explained what they were. The Layout room was mostly used by CSI's and the Detectives and the Evidence Garage was run by a friendly guy named Axel who looked over vehicles for cases. Moving on to the next glass door on the right side of the hall Edd saw TV's and computer monitors and several computers before he even saw anyone in there. They entered the room and Martha introduced the two.

"Sheridan, this is Edd, my replacement, you better take good care of this boy," she said laughing good-naturedly at the short man perched on a stool. The man had tanned skin and short black hair and black eyes but Edd thought he might be a very nice man, he had a friendly look in his eyes that calmed Edd's nerves a bit. The two shook hands and despite Sheridan not actually saying anything to Edd before turning back to whatever he was doing, Edd left the room a bit happier. Martha lead Edd back toward the main lobby pausing for only a few seconds to point out the Deputy Chief's office across from the break room before entering the high-ceilinged lobby.

The building was rather beautiful and Edd thought he would enjoy seeing it every day. The Chief was standing in front of his office waiting for them with a smile. Martha excused herself to go get some work done while Edd was lead around by the Chief who first started by telling him where the different units' sections were in the room. Next to what would be Edd's lab was the Homicide Unit and in front of that closer to the front of the building was the Special Victims Unit and behind Homicide was just meeting rooms for briefings. In the middle section of the room were Internal Affairs and Missing Persons. Next to the break room was Processing for people brought in and VICE/Narcotics was situated closer to the front of the building.

"Through the break room is the officers' locker room which has a door leading to the gym. You're welcome to use it if you wish. Honestly, we highly encourage all our civilian employees to take the defense classes offered but it isn't required." Edd nodded taking in all of the information that he could and sorting it mentally. He was never good at anything that required physical activity but maybe that was something he should invest his time in? He'd have to think about it.

"Do you have any questions for me before we head to the meeting room so I can introduce you to some of my detectives?" Thinking for a moment and not really coming up with anything else but one, he blushed lightly.

"Um, yes, where would the restrooms be?" The older man laughed then pointed toward the Processing area.

"Restrooms are right through that door or next to the Morgue, you can probably guess which ones get used most often," the man laughed and Edd smiled in return, "You go on then and meet me in Meeting Room A when you're finished alright?" With an answering nodded, Edd turned in the direction of the restrooms, weaved between people and went in. After relieving himself and finding the restrooms surprisingly clean - not as clean as Edd would have his own but he only spent about five minutes cleaning the toilet before using it - he washed his hands and walked out heading toward the meeting rooms next to the Homicide Unit.

He hadn't made it very far, only to the middle of the building, before shouts erupted behind him. Curious as to what the commotion could be he turned and paled as he saw a large bald man charging straight for him. Gasping in fright he turned to run but wasn't fast enough. He felt a sharp pain around his neck as he was jerk back into the gigantic man's sweaty chest, and cold metal wrapped around his throat. Bringing his hands up to try and dislodge the chain blocking his airway he froze as he smelled terrible BO and felt the sweat and his brain was yelling at him about germs and diseases. Blue eyes squinted in pain before the room spun and he found himself face to gun to face with _Kevin?_


	2. SurprisED

**Justice is ServED**

 _SurprisEd_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

* * *

 _D-Double D?_ Kevin kept the confusion and slight fear from showing on his face as best as he could as he recognized the poor guy being held in the beefy, smelly arms of the criminal. A loud maniacal cackle interrupted his thoughts and he focused hard emerald eyes darkened with anger on the sweaty guys' sneering face. The beefy arm under Double D's chin jerk up hard eliciting a soft squeak from the man as long fingers itched to grab the man's arm but not wanting to actually touch the guy, because of the germs or because he thought it might antagonize the guy further, Kevin wasn't sure, and didn't want to find out should it be the latter.

The whole precinct was silent as everyone waited with bated breath, this guy could literally snap Double D in two if rubbed the wrong way and no one wanted to provoke the man. Kevin clenched his jaw, not looking from Double D's wide, frightened eyes. He could see the slight tremble of his lips and his hands shaking as they hung in the air. He needed to get the dork away from this guy without resorting to shooting either of them, he knew that. To be honest, he tried his best to never use his gun on anyone if he could help it. Icy green eyes flicked to the dark brown of his suspect and he steeled himself for the upcoming fight.

"Alright MacConnell, let him go," his voice gruff but passive, giving an order but not being too demanding about it, "No one needs to get hurt here, alright?" Green eyes narrowed slightly when all the tall man did was laugh and tighten his hold on the nerd's thin neck as he slowly inched closer to the door.

Edd clumsily tried to follow on his tip toes but stumbled eliciting an aggravated growl from his captor. A strangled gasp escaped his lips and he was forced to grip the man's thick arms, _oh dear, oh dear_ , as his feet were lifted from the ground. His neck and lungs were on fire as his air was cut off even more. Trying to breath as best he could and ignore the pained wheezing noise, Edd focused on the emerald eyes that stared at him. Kevin was something familiar and although they weren't the best of friends when they were growing up, Edd knew he could trust him in this situation.

Bumping against the strong chest, Edd realized they had made it down the stairs to the main lobby and his pulse quickened. If they made it out the door, what would happen to him? It was his first day on the job and he was already in a bad situation…today was now officially his worst day ever he mentally sighed as he closed his eyes. He didn't really want to see anyone else stare at him with a mixture of pity and fear. It wasn't really helping his heart stay calm so he tried to drown out the surprised gasp from Bridget as the neared her desk and tried to not picture the looks on the faces of the officers who'd teased him on his way in.

"Double D, you're gonna be fine, yeah?" Ocean blue eyes flew open at the sound of his nickname rolling smoothly off the detectives' tongue. It's been a long time since someone has called him that. He stared at the tall man for a moment and he managed the slightest of nods before a soft whimper that he would love to deny escaped his lips. His eyes scrunched up in pain when that silver chain tightened more and he could feel it cutting into his skin. He moved one hand and tried to get his fingers under the chain but to no avail.

"Hey! Come on man! Let the guy go, he's got nothing to do with this!" Kevin growled out as he slowly followed, anger only growing. If he made it out the door with Double D, things would only get worse for him and Kevin didn't want to see that happen. He raised his gun a bit higher trying to see if maybe he had a shot but MacConnell noticed.

"Put the gun down! _Put it down! All of you!_ " MacConnell yelled jerking the chain back for emphasis and lifting Edd in front of him as a shield. Kevin suppressed a grimace as a choked cry came from the frail mans' lips and he slowly held his hands up in a surrender then lowered to the ground, placing the gun on the floor before rising again and kicking the weapon to the side, just as the other officers in the room followed Kevin's lead. Edd was fully aware now of everyone's eyes on him but he tried hard to just focus on Kevin.

From his peripherals he could see the Chief holding a terrified Martha back as Presley stood in front of her with a glare that Edd was hoping wasn't aimed at him. but at the man holding him hostage. _Okay, come one Edd! Think! There has to be something you can do to stall him!_ A wide sneer spread across the man's ugly face and he made his way backwards to the door faster, Kevin still trailing after them.

"W-wait! Y-you will need the k-key! F-for the h-hand-" Choking as the man jerked the chain again he stopped, breathing heavily he looked at Kevin, hoping desperately that he would understand what he was planning. Wide green eyes filled slowly with understanding as he elaborated on what Double D said.

"Yeah, you'll need the key to get those off if you plan to get away. We'd catch you easily if you're still handcuffed," Kevin slowly lowered a hand from its' surrendered position to his pocket and grabbed a set of keys and showed them off to the criminal, jiggling them slightly. God he hoped this guy was that stupid and that this would work, seeing those wide, desperate shiny blues staring back at him with so much trust was making Kevin's stomach churn.

"Yeah, yeah okay! Give the little bitch the keys," he yelled making Edd wince from the assault of noise in his ear and the spray of spit that hit his cheek before a shiver went up his spine when what the man said next made his skin crawl, "And you, you are going to unlock them," MacConnell said huskily in the dork's ear and Edd could _feel_ the smirk on the man's lips. A black beanie bobbed slightly as he nodded and Kevin slowly came forward stretching his arm out toward Edd but froze when MacConnell yelled for him to stop. Kevin stared into panicky and tearing blue eyes, he could see that the poor man was shaking badly as Edd was told to reach for the keys.

Long, trembling fingers reached out and gently brushed against strong, callused ones as Edd grabbed for the keys with difficulty; he had to quite literally choke himself more to reach far enough. _Don't drop the keys, don't drop the keys, please god don't let me drop these keys!_ He cried mentally as his trembling fingers picked through the keys on the ring to find the bright silver one that could possibly mean his release.

It took him longer (and a lot more touching) than he would've liked before he found the keyhole and nearly dropped the keys in premature excitement. He closed his eyes and tried hard to focus on the task at hand. Once he heard the click of the lock he felt a hard blow to his back and he pitched forward forcefully. Squeezing his eyes shut tighter, he waited for his face and the floor to have a fantastic introduction but was thoroughly surprised to be jerked back slightly by an arm around his waist. Fearing for a moment that the criminal was not done with him, Edd gripped the arm holding him and a rush of relief filled his body. It was a thinner muscular than the one from before and he vaguely heard a smooth voice above him yell out as a slightly familiar scent of leather wafted into his nose.

"Nat! Grab him!" Kevin lowered Edd to his hands and knees as the man wheezed, hacked and coughed, trying to regulate his breathing once more. Placing a strong, gentle hand on the trembling man's back, he rubbed a couple soothing circles as he watched Nat and a few other officers tackle the escaping criminal.

Edd opened his eyes and winced at being so close to the dirty, dirty floor before they widened slightly at small drops of blood that littered the tile. He gasped and immediately had a violent coughing fit which alerted Kevin to the smaller man. It didn't surprise Edd that he was bleeding, the chain had been tight around his throat and he could feel the fire and sharp pains still surrounding it.

"Double D? How you doin' man?" The detective bent his head down level with the nerd's and was a bit shocked to see blood not only from his neck but a small trickle from his mouth dripping on the floor. "Oh shit!" he said then gently grabbed Edd under his arms and lifted him so that he sat on his butt on the cold, filthy floor to get a better look at him. Kneeling down in front of the man he gently lifted his chin to look at his neck.

He could see the red and blue links, bruises and cuts, from where the chain had dug into the poor man's throat and thicker strips and longer cuts on the outside from the actual cuffs themselves. Hissing in sympathy Kevin looked into the pained and uncomfortable blue eyes of the man he knew for most of his life as he wheezed and stuttered out infrequent coughs. Kevin opened his mouth to say something, what he didn't know but he was interrupted before he even began.

"Oh my god! Edd, are you okay?" screeched Martha as she hobbled over to the two men on the ground. Two sets of eyes settled on her and she pulled a handkerchief from her white lab coat and handed it to Kevin to apply light pressure to the quivering man's neck. He flinched back at the touch to his neck, not really surprising but he still felt bad that he did it though Kevin didn't seem to mind.

"He should probably go to the hospital and get checked out, Martha," Chief Donald said as he stepped up to the little group a saddened smile on his face. He hoped that Edd wouldn't decide to quit after this…he was the only one Martha had approved of to take over for her and with his intelligence, they could use him.

"I'll take him Chief," Kevin offered helping Edd stand up and holding him steady on his shaky and weak legs.

"You will?" The Chief looked skeptical at the two and Edd nodded his approval, still not wanting to even try to speak at the moment. Martha watched the two carefully, a protective look on her face as she placed her hands on her hips and glared at the detective.

"Now Kevin, if you're gonna be mean to this kid I'm gonna have to kick your ass," Martha threatened shaking a finger at the wide-eyed detective before he burst out laughing.

"I won't Martha, me and Double D go way back, and it was my suspect that roughed him up so it's the least I can do," Edd was a bit surprised that Kevin admitted to knowing him. They weren't really (ever) friends so why wouldn't Kevin just ignore him? The Chief seemed to take his answer as sufficient reason and shooed them off saying that Edd could take the rest of today off but would need to be back tomorrow for his training with Martha.

Nodding weakly, he leaned heavily on Kevin, feeling his body losing strength from lack of adrenaline. In any other situation, Edd might have blushed a deep red and pulled his beanie over his eyes in embarrassment at having Kevin so close to him. In this one though, Edd was a bit saddened to know that the pain was overshadowing any other emotions he might have felt about the man with his arm around his thin waist and warm hand clutching his arm over broad shoulders.

Kevin shouted to Nat that'd he'd contact him later and lead Double D out of the doors to his police issue Dodge Charger. He helped Edd into the passenger seat, making him take over holding the cloth to his throat before getting in and driving to the nearby hospital. The drive was a silent one but not as awkward as Edd thought it might have been. The radio played softly and Kevin hummed along with it sometimes, probably not even realizing what he was doing. It made Edd feel more comfortable and for that he was grateful. It's been too long since he's felt happy or comfortable with anyone regardless of the relationship. The only surprising thing was that he felt this with Kevin and this was the first time in years that he's seen the man.

* * *

Upon arriving the two got out of the car and made their way in where Edd allowed Kevin to do all the talking, not that he could have even if he had wanted to. Edd was quickly led to the back and given an MRI at the advisement of a passing female doctor who smiled cutely at Kevin before they were settled in one of the waiting rooms. The two men were only there for about ten minutes, long enough for Edd to file out the paperwork, when a short male doctor entered the room with a file and frowned at Kevin upon seeing him. He was an older man with dark skin and dark eyes that glared at the detective in annoyance.

"The hell are you doing here Detective? Surely you haven't injured yourself or another suspect again," the man's deep voice was laced with irritation giving Edd the impression that he's had to deal with a stubborn Kevin Barr on multiple occasions. Emerald eyes rolled as Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall next to the small examination table Edd was situated on.

"No I haven't," Kevin bit back before jerking a thumb at Edd, "He's been hurt, so could ya just look at him?" The two seemed to be at odds with each other and Edd could almost see the sparks of anger as they glared at one another. The atmosphere in the room grew colder and Edd shifted on the table awkwardly, catching the attention of the doctor as he handed over the forms.

"You're probably responsible for his injuries huh? That'd be the only other reason for you being here," Edd frowned at the man as he caught Kevin's face turn red with anger and his arms fell to clench his fists at his sides. But the doctors' eyes were on Edd and the dork felt like he needed to defend the detective, so he did. He shook his head and gave the doctor a mildly displeased look, hoping that he would understand, but he didn't.

"K-Kevin, is not…to blame," Edd choked as he spoke for the first time in a while, his voice hoarse and scratchy as he ended with a slight cough. He winced slightly in pain as the doctor nodded unenthusiastically, as if he didn't really care either way, before gently lifting Edd's chin to see his neck. The bruises were darkening but the light bleeding had stopped. Letting Edd's head fall slowly, the doctor took a small flashlight from his coat breast pocket and instructed Edd to open his mouth.

"There's significant bruising to your neck but your windpipe looks better than the outside according to your MRI, you'll still likely have trouble eating solid foods for a while but you'll heal up just fine. There's nothing to be too concerned about. Try not to talk too much for the next week or so and it'll go by a lot faster." The doctor said placing the flashlight back in his pocket.

"What about the blood? He had some coming out of his mouth." Kevin asked mildly, one again leaning against the wall but with his hands in his front pockets this time, trying not to show his concern.

"He bit his tongue." Was all the response the detective got and it pissed him off but he remained silent. The rude doctor took out a prescription pad and wrote something on it before handing it to Edd.

"I'll have a nurse come in and clean the cuts for you. This," he said motioning toward the paper, "is for the pain, inflammation, and an antibiotic just in case. Your throat might swell a little but this anti-inflammatory will help. I suggest drinking a lot of soothing teas and only liquids or soft foods for the next few days, lukewarm if you have to heat it. If you think you can handle solid foods, add them slowly. Stay away from anything with a lot of acid, sugar, or pepper, it'll only aggravate your throat." Edd nodded in understanding and smiled slightly to thank the doctor before the man left with one last glare at the detective. Hearing the redhead tsk in aggravation, blue eyes regarded him questioningly. Once Kevin saw his look he sighed, took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair before replacing it.

"For some reason, every damn time I get hurt on the job, he's the guy that has to fix me up. Like _, every_ time, no fuckin' joke. Dude's just tired of seeing me." he responded ignoring Edd's admonished look. He smirked knowing exactly what that look meant, even after all these years, and didn't bother to try and tone down his language. He knew Double D would try his best to not talk, wanting to heal as quickly as possible, so he wouldn't actually say anything about his cursing.

"I gotta thank you though," Kevin said before elaborating after a confused Edd tilted his hand and pointed to himself, "Well, you defended me when the doc was being an ass, and you did kinda help us recapture the dick that did, well, all that to you so, thanks man." Kevin smiled sincerely motioning at Edd before voicing his own question to the man as they waited for the nurse to come in to clean Edd's wounds.

"So, uh, what were you doing at the station anyway? I didn't even know you were back in town," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously for a moment before realizing Edd wouldn't speak. He took a notepad out of an inner pocket in his jacket and handed it to the man with a pen. Edd neatly wrote an answer and handed it back to Kevin, a slightly apprehensive look on his face.

 _New forensic scientist - replacing Martha._

After reading the nice and legible writing, Kevin looked at Edd with furrowed brows and tilted his head to the side a little. He didn't have a chance to ask about his other question that Edd left unanswered because a light knock sounded at the door and a cheery nurse came in with a tray of supplies.

"Hello, Mr. Vincent, I'm Anna and I'll be tending to your wounds today!" she chirped happily setting the tray down on a moving table. Edd nodded with a polite smile on his face, choosing to not look at Kevin. It wasn't that he had a reason for not telling anyone he was back in Peach Creek. It was more that he didn't think anyone but Ed or Eddy would've cared that he came back at all, originally he wasn't going to ever come back. Just as Anna began to clean his wounds, Kevin excused himself to go talk to the Chief about how Edd was doing and left the room.

* * *

"Yes, sir, I'll make sure he gets home okay. Nah, I'll take care of it. Yep, I'm calling Nat in a bit. Okay, bye." Sighing lightly, Kevin ended the call and glanced up at the still closed door to the room Edd was in. Why didn't Edd tell anyone he was coming back? Kevin sighed, that one question was just not letting him be, he didn't even know why he cared so much. It's not like they were ever friends. Flicking his finger on the screen of his phone to another page, he saw a small picture of Nat's grinning face and violently jabbed at it before putting the phone to his ear and his other hand in his jacket pocket.

 _"The Amazing King of Butts, at your service my sexy partner!"_ the man yelled into the phone when he answered earning an unseen eye roll and growl from said partner.

"Dude, what have I told you about answering my calls like that?"

 _"To not do it but how often do I really listen to you?"_ A cackling laugh reached Kevin's ears and he couldn't help the small grin that settled on his face, Nat was an ass sometimes that was certain, but Kevin wouldn't trade his partner for anyone. They worked really well together, Nat being the "clumsy", "clueless", cop to Kevin's serious and stoic-ness. They were practically two sides to the same coin and their personalities meshed well most of the time. Not to say they didn't clash every once in a while but they saw each other all the time, were practically inseparable, the best of friends.

 _"So, how's the cutie doin? Martha is having a bit of a conniption about you not calling with his condition sooner."_

"Yeah, yeah, he'll be fine. Just has to take it easy, no talking, and no solid foods. He was lucky that ass didn't do more damage than he did."

 _"Oh goodie! Martha says you'd better take damn good care of him - she's apparently adopted the adorable dork."_ The redhead could hear the chuckle in Nat's voice as the muffled sound of Martha screaming at him came through the phone.

"Were you able to get anything outta MacConnell?" His partner was silent for a moment before Kevin lost the small grin on his face and a scowl replaced it.

 _"He's refusing to talk about anything but the cutie pie. Says he won't say anything to us but he'll talk to the stud muffin. I'm sure you can guess how he said all that so I won't bother describing how much I kinda wish you'd have just shot his bastard ass."_ Kevin remained silent as he took it all in. They had the guy for assault at the very least right now and that was enough to keep him in custody and Kevin was definitely going to push Edd to press charges on the man. Hell, even if he didn't they still had a case against him…dude had a whole precinct of witnesses.

"Well, he ain't goin' anywhere near Double D so he can shove it. I'll take a crack at him tomorrow, let him sit in a cell for the night and see how he feels about that. Once we're done here I'll take Double D home and head back to the station."

 _"Oh? Has my wittle Kevy-kins got a crush on our new lab rat?"_ The redhead growled into the phone before he hung up on his partner with a smirk before going to the door and knocking lightly before entering when he heard a cheery _come in_. He saw that the nurse was beginning to clean up and Edd watched him with kind blue eyes. Kevin's gaze fell to his neck and stared at the sharp contrast between Edd's pale skin and the stark white of the gauze bandaging covering the bruises he knew to be there.

"Just in time Detective Barr, we've just finished up." Anna said happily before saying get well soon to Edd and leaving the two alone in the room. Edd slowly descended from the table and made his way to Kevin with a paper in his hand and a kind smile on his face but his eyes looked tired. It was only a little after noon but Kevin couldn't fault the man for being exhausted after his ordeal. The redhead coughed lightly, feeling a bit awkward and turned around to leave the room and Edd followed. Kevin waited by the door and watched while Edd signed discharge papers.

He'd grown a bit since the last time Kevin had seen him, which, if he remembered right had been at their high school graduation six years ago. He was shorter than Kevin who stood at a solid six foot two, maybe about five feet eight inches. He was still thin and pale and his eyes, surprisingly, still held that innocent sparkle from when they were kids. That black beanie was ever present on his head, covering his forehead and most of his hair except the jet black strands the covered the nape of his neck to just below his shoulders. The redhead found that he was still just as curious now as he was when he was a kid about what Edd seemed to be hiding underneath it. When the man began walking over to the redhead he briefly wondered if he still had that gap in his teeth but pushed the thought away when those big eyes watched him curiously.

"Uh, well, I was told to make sure you got home alright so, uh, that's where I'm gonna take you. Um, I guess you still have your car at the station?" A nod was his answer and he replied in kind before leading Edd out of the hospital and to the car. "That's okay, it'll be fine there. I'll just come get you in the morning and take you in myself, alright?" He watched Edd out of the corner of his eye and saw the hesitant nod as the man opened the car door and got in.

"So, uh, where do you live?"

"C-Cul-de-sac," Edd whispered out harshly as he buckled his seatbelt before glancing up at Kevin's furrowed brow and slightly tilted head.

"Cul-de-sac? Like, _our_ cul-de-sac?" The black beanie bobbed in confirmation and Kevin raised an eyebrow at him as he put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot. "You live with your parents still?" he asked incredulously, thinking that of all people Double D would be the last one to need to move back in with his parents. Stopping at a red light Kevin looked over at the silent man and his eyes widened. Edd sat with slumped shoulders, his hands clenched together in his lap, and sad eyes looking at the floor of the car. Thinking that maybe he'd been rude without realizing it he cleared his throat.

"Uh, sorry, dude. I was just shocked, um, ya know it's not a bad thing. I'm still living with my folks too." Green glanced over to Edd and saw that he had nodded but his eyes were hooded and he felt that there was something the man wasn't saying. Or well, something he wouldn't say if he could without attempting to hack up a lung.

Choosing to leave the matter alone for now, Kevin mentally told himself he'd check it out when he got back to the station, yeah, he was being nosy, so what? He wanted to know why he'd hadn't even noticed Edd moving back home, across the street from him. He couldn't help being curious about it all. How long has Edd been back in Peach Creek? Why didn't he tell anyone he was coming back? Why did he leave right away anyway? The man practically cut all ties after he left for college and Kevin was interested in the reasons.

They drove for about twenty more minutes before Kevin pulled the Charger into Edd's driveway and put it in park. He turned slightly to the unmoving man next to him and nervously rubbed the back of his neck again before he reached into his jacket's left inner pocket and pulled out his badge. He flipped it open with ease and pulled a business card from a small flap on one side before putting the badge back. After grabbing a pen and scribbling something on the back of the card he handed it to Edd who took it slowly.

"That's my cell, you need anything, you call or text alright dork? I'll come get you at seven thirty tomorrow morning." Kevin said quietly, watching Edd carefully. The man smiled gratefully at Kevin giving him a quick glimpse at the still present gap between the man's front teeth before he nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. Edd opened the door and got out of the car then leaned down to thank Kevin but the detective shook his head and gave him a half smile.

"Don't thank me dude, it's my fault you're in this mess anyway so, uh, see you tomorrow." The beanie-clad man gently shut the car door and walked to his front door, fishing his keys out of his pocket as he went. After unlocking and opening the door, he turned back and waved at the detective as he pulled out of the driveway, after a two fingered wave back Kevin sped off.

* * *

I'm updating this sooner than planned! I'm having so much fun writing this and I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. I'm not sure how long this will actually be but with the way it's going right now, it'll most likely be one of the longest I've ever written. I've been writing a lot for this and have chapter 3 about ¾ of the way done and that's without editing!

I may post updates/ask questions on my tumblr. I'm actually not a very social person so I haven't fully decided yet. My tumblr is my name: ReinaKage and I do have AO3 under the same name.


	3. DivergED

**Justice is ServED**

 _DivergED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot and my OCs._

* * *

Shutting the door lightly behind him and locking it, Edd took a deep breath and fell back against the door and slowly slid to the floor. Laying his forehead on raised knees, the scientist took in a shaky breath and let it out. He could feel tears filling his eyes as he finally allowed himself to relax. Today has been one of the most stressful days of his life. Right up there with being told his parents were dead, their funeral, and another incident before moving back home, but Edd preferred to not think about that. Pushing hurtful memories to the back of his mind he replayed the events of today.

The most surprising: seeing the redhead who used to bully him when they were little. He never thought he'd ever see Kevin again, let alone work with the man. He thought that Kevin had a full ride scholarship to a university several states over and that he would be well on his way to, or already, playing professional football. Hadn't that been his dream when they were younger? And if it was, what made him change his mind?

A light blush settled on Double D's cheeks when he remembered the concern that filled emerald eyes when they first saw each other before the redheads' eyes hardened and he tried to save him. The man has grown up, that much was certain and Edd couldn't help but remember how that muscular arm felt wrapped around his waist and the firm hand on his back trying to sooth his breathing and nerves. The beanie-clad man instinctively pulled his hat down over his eyes and pictured the detective in his mind as the red on his face turned brighter and moved quickly to his neck and the tips of his ears.

If Edd were to be truly honest with himself, he would have to acknowledge the fact that Kevin looked positively _stunning_ and it did not make him feel any better. He wondered if Kevin remembered the day they graduated high school. Edd had never really forgotten it, had never really been able to push Kevin out of his mind over the last six years either. From the way the man acted, familiar and not at all angry with him, Edd was inclined to believe the man had forgotten what the scientist did all those years ago, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

* * *

The graduation ceremony had just ended and everyone had left the gymnasium to find their family and friends out in the football field for photos and heartfelt last goodbyes but Edd was doing none of those things. He stood off to the side with Ed and Eddy, all three in their graduation gowns with both Ed and Double D holding their graduation caps and Eddy's unsurprisingly missing having thrown his with a cackling laugh. The second Double D had the chance he'd replaced his cap with the much more comfortable beanie. The trio laughed together for a few minutes when someone ran passed them with a seething Sarah chasing them before the three Ed's heard a loud screeching.

" _Sarah, wait you can't bite people! Gotta go guys!"_ Ed squeezed the two tightly before running off to find his family before Eddy turned to look at Edd, an odd look on his face.

" _So, they didn't come huh?"_ Double D knew who he was talking about and a slow shake of his head made Eddy frown harshly and the smart teen could only sigh softly before attempting to placate the red-faced teen.

" _I am fine Eddy. They had a last minute complication arise and could not be pulled away. They sent their congratulations and praise along with quite a substantial gift."_ The two had this exact conversation multiple times over the last couple days and the beanie-clad teen was growing weary of it. A low growl sounded from Eddy and Edd couldn't help but roll his eyes as the shorter teen opened his mouth.

" _That shouldn't matter Double D! They're your parents! They shoulda been here! I mean…what are you gonna do tomorrow? You're leaving, are you really gonna go by yourself? Move yourself?"_ Edd was touched by the concern Eddy was showing about the situation, the shorter teen was not known for showing any sort of sensitivity for others. Blue eyes scanned the people that surrounded them, all with family, with friends, and felt a sharp tug on his heart as his stomach clenched tightly. Avoiding Eddy's eyes as he fingered his graduation cap nervously, Edd couldn't help but feel left out.

Yes, it hurt that his parents had chosen work over him, _again_ , but it wasn't unexpected, he had known it was coming. He learned to never hold out hope for his parents coming home long enough to spend time with him or even to see him, let alone celebrate anything. He had come to terms with that his sophomore year when they forgot his birthday and he spent it alone. It was the first time they had and the other two Ed's had other engagements with their families as all three of them believed Edd would spend his sixteenth birthday with his parents. Unfortunately, it was not the _last_ time they forgot a birthday or holiday.

After realizing that never expecting them meant he didn't hurt terribly from crushed hope, he forced himself to never think that they would be true to their word. It made things easier for him as he was able to let go and live his life without thinking of his parents or worrying about whether or not they would be there for him. He was perfectly content to be alone, that was partially why he was leaving Peach Creek. Ed and Eddy were leaving as well so there really hadn't been a reason to stay in a place that constantly reminded him of how lonely he really was.

" _Yes. We are all adults now Eddy, I believe it is time that I act like one."_ He ignored the skeptical look in Eddy's eyes before a voice called out to the short Ed and he glanced around before spotting the teen's mother waving him over. A small smile appeared on Double D's face and he waved slightly as Eddy moved to leave. A quick sad glance back at the smart Ed was all the warning the beanie-clad teen got before Eddy gave him a quick hug turned and left. Edd knew the two boys would be over later tonight and that was enough for him. Slowly he removed and draped his graduation gown over his arm, leaving him in his clean cut black suit with a deep red shirt underneath the jacket and a neatly pressed black tie.

Turning around toward the parking lot with the intention of going home, Edd froze when he spotted Kevin Barr being hugged tightly by his mother and his father clapping him firmly on the back. That fluttery feeling in his chest returned, as it always did when he saw the jock. Edd swallowed through the lump in his throat, blinking away tears at the sight of Kevin and his family. The love Double D saw that was obviously aimed at the athlete was like a sharp stab to his heart. He was most certainly envious of the others but he knew better. He knew better than to hope, to dream, to wish that he could have the same thing, but he supposed that there was still a small part of him that wished his parents were here for him.

A wide smile suddenly turned to him before it fell slightly and emerald eyes locked with watery blue. The two were too far apart for them to exchange words and Edd wasn't all that confident he could say anything without sobbing anyway so he settled for a slight wave earning a confused look as the redhead tilted his head slightly, a silent question in his eyes. Not knowing what Kevin could possibly be wondering about Edd ignored it, merely responding with a sad smile and walking to his car, not once looking back.

He'd spent the next few hours home alone, re-checking his lists, his labeled boxes and making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. The house was as silent then as it had been for the last seven or so years but this didn't bother Edd, at least not anymore. Passing the living room window he paused and stared out at the multitude of cars that lined the dark cul-de-sac. His neighbors and their families gathered for post-graduation festivities it would seem. Edd's heart ached painfully and he swallowed the lump quickly forming in his throat and a heavy sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his left upper arm lightly before lifting a neatly packed duffle bag.

A cool breeze wafted around him when he opened the front door and headed to his car, placing the duffle bag in the front passenger seat before going back into the house and slowly bringing out boxes and bags to fill the car. A soft grunt escaped his lips as he adjusted his hold on the last box, a heavy one full of books. Unable to see where he was going around the rather large box his foot slipped slightly and he yelped feeling gravity exert its' force on him. But his butt never hit the ground and a light chuckle filled the silence when he noticed a large hand on the bottom of the box and another grasping his upper right arm.

" _Careful dork."_ Blue eyes widened when the weight of the box left his arms and he was able to look into the amused and inquisitive emerald eyes of Kevin. His mouth hung open slightly in surprise before he was able to shake himself back to reality and follow the, now, ex-football captain to the car. Kevin placed the box where Edd requested and shut the door then turned and leaned against the cool metal, shoving his hands in his black jean pockets and looking up at the stars.

" _So, what are you doin' anyway?"_ The nerd wrung his hands nervously in front of his chest and avoided looking at the muscular teen next to him. Right now was not the time to blush and stammer like a child. He'd been able to keep his crush on the teen a secret from everyone, aside from Ed and Eddy who found out, for the last three years. He had no intention of letting it slip now…right? Biting his lip, he wondered what it would really hurt. He was leaving, had no intentions of coming back and could care less about what anyone might say, he wouldn't ever see any of them again so, what was holding him back?

" _I'm leaving tomorrow, for university. I was granted a summer start."_ He mumbled staring hard at the ground. Ed and Eddy were the only people his age who knew of his plans. The sooner he left, the better he'd feel, is what he hoped. But, now he was curious about why Kevin had come over. Why was he still here and why did he even bother to help him? What could he possibly want from the nerd he practically ignored all through high school, except that one time…but Edd preferred not to dwell on that too much. That incident was the whole reason Edd was essentially a stuttering and blushing school girl when it came to Kevin anyway.

" _Oh. Okay, cool, I guess."_ The silence that followed was awkward for the two of them but Kevin remained still as Edd began fidgeting in his spot, still not facing the teen next to him. This was already hard enough and Kevin's presence, as much as he liked it, was not very soothing, especially after the redhead voiced his next question.

" _Are your parents gonna go with you?"_ Thin arms crossed slowly across his chest and Edd's head dropped lower before shaking it in a silent no. There was a rustle of cloth and Edd felt a pressure settle on his beanie. Instinctively his fingers flew to grip the hat and he looked up with slight fear that Kevin was trying to see under it. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to throw him off guard and attempt to yank the hat off his head.

The taller teen looked amused for a moment, making no move to remove the article of clothing, merely leaving his large, warm hand resting on the nerd's head almost, affectionately? Edd's breath caught in his throat, his pulse quickened, and he could feel his palms begin to sweat with how nervous he was getting standing so close to his crush. Blue met green and Edd could see an emotion in Kevin's eyes that he couldn't identify but he didn't bother analyzing what it could possibly be.

" _Your parents…they weren't there today, were they?"_ The question was spoken so quietly that Edd wouldn't have known Kevin was even talking if he hadn't been looking directly at his pink lips. Hmm, so that emotion, was it pity? It didn't really look like it, at least not the pity Edd was used to seeing on people's faces. Thin fingers gripped his hat tighter as his eyes darted away from beautiful pools of green.

It wasn't like him to be rude and ignore someone but this was a topic he didn't even like discussing with Ed and Eddy, what made Kevin think he would ever talk to _him_ about it? Despite refusing to answer, Edd, in the back of his mind, knew that his silence was answer enough for Kevin and he felt conflicted. Oh how he hated the way Kevin made him feel, but he supposed it was his own fault for not bothering to try and squash his amorous feelings for the red-haired jock.

" _I'm sorry,_ " Edd raised his head slowly to gaze at Kevin in shock and wonder as the teen spoke, _"It's stupid that your folks didn't come. Especially to something so important. I mean…look Double Dork, I know we aren't friends or anything but…"_ Taking a step back, making Kevin's hand fall back to his side Edd let go of his hat and schooled his face to one of practiced indifference.

" _Kevin, I do not desire pity from you or anyone in regards to this matter. I do not wish to be impolite however, my familial situation is not any of your business."_ Out of the corner of his eyes, because he refused to look directly at the tall teen, Edd saw those broad shoulders slump slightly but the jock didn't react in the manner Edd thought he might. Instead of anger or violence, Kevin looked upset at what Double D said but it only lasted for a moment.

" _Ya know what, you're right. It's not my business. Sorry."_ Biting his lip once more as he turned his whole body to finally face the jock, Edd stood up to his full height which was still a few inches shorter than Kevin. The athlete hung his head a bit, looking at Edd from under long eyelashes and the nerd felt a rush of courage go through him. It was obvious in the way Kevin held himself and how he spoke that he was at the very least a little bit concerned about Edd. So, making up his mind and gathering all the bravery he could muster he spoke.

" _Kevin, I have something I wish to reveal to you. I will not have another chance to do so as I have no intention of coming back to Peach Creek in the foreseeable future so may I please voice what is on my mind?"_ A tilt of the head and a slow nod were Edd's answer and the teen gulped softly before moving faster than he knew he was capable of. Thin fingers fisted in the letterman jacket and he pulled himself forward and up on his tiptoes to brush his lips gently but firmly on the taller teens, muffling the soft yelp that escaped Kevin's lips.

Edd was squeezing his eyes shut tight, not wishing to see the disgust or hatred that was surely in the jock's eyes and he waited for pain in the form of a fist or kick, but none came, even after several moments of locking lips with the athlete. The jock's lips were surprisingly soft and felt so much better than Edd could have ever imagined. His stomach fluttered in excitement at catching the redhead off guard enough to finally relieve his curiosity over the ex-football captain's lips and how it was feel to kiss them.

He never wanted it to end…He didn't want to leave…But Edd knew he had to, he had to get away from here and focus on himself for once. Not his parents who haven't really spoken to him in months, only sending a text this morning congratulating him. Not the people at school who had picked on him for being intelligent or weak. Not the people who constantly requested his assistance – this he didn't mind as much but some people were merely trying to waste his time, and he knew it but was too nice to tell them no.

Breaking the kiss and pulling back slightly as he opened his eyes slowly. Fear bubbled through his body and his fingers, still fisted in the front of Kevin's jacket, began to tremble. Stunning green eyes were wide with shock and the teen had stopped breathing it seemed as Edd slowly lowered himself from the jock. Silence enveloped them both, neither wishing to speaking or even move for fear of what, they didn't know.

Sharp pricks stabbed at Edd's blue eyes and he felt them quickly well with tears. Hastily stepping back from the jock he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, trying to stop the flow but it didn't help. A soft sob escaped him and he cringed at how pathetic, how _disgusting_ Kevin must think he is right now. The silence stretched and Edd had finally decided that he'd had enough. Gazing with watery, slightly blurry eyes at the unmoving jock, Edd sniffed then swallowed.

" _I-I'm sorry. I-I just…"_ Edd looked away pulling nervously at the cuffs of his sleeves as more silent tears fell down his cheeks, _"I-I couldn't leave without…without expressing how I feel. I did not want to leave feeling regretful. I'm sorry. Goodbye Kevin."_ His voice was soft with a slight tremble to it but Edd felt like a small weight had been lifted despite the painful ache in his heart. He was finally able to tell the teen about his crush, his desire, now he could leave and forget about this place and everyone in it, except Ed and Eddy of course. Bringing a sleeve covered hand up to his bowed head he choked back a sob as he walked away from the still frozen jock, leaving him standing in his driveway, not daring to look back at him once again.

Locking the front door behind him, Edd leaned his back on the door and slowly slid down the wood to the floor. Sobs wracked his body and he was having to gulp in air and his body was shaking, trembling so much that he didn't think he could even try to stand to get off the dirty floor without collapsing. Edd cried, really cried, for the first time since his lonely sixteenth birthday. Eyes puffy and red, choking sobs and a thirst for air, a truly heart-wrenching cry. But no one was here to comfort him, he was alone. His energy left him and he slumped over onto his side on the floor and curled in on himself.

He didn't know how long he laid on the floor but he was still there when Ed and Eddy let themselves in through the back door. They found him on the floor, still sniffling but the sobs had subsided somewhat. Neither teen said anything as Ed came over and picked the weak Ed off the floor and took him to his room, Eddy following at a slower speed and a downcast expression.

The boys were sleeping over that night so they could see Edd off in the morning. They talked for a couple hours all speaking softly about random things until Edd was able to tell them what happened with his redheaded crush. There were no yells of outrage, no threats of violence against Kevin, no raised voices, the two boys understood the situation and Edd couldn't not be happier that his two best friends were like the family he never had.

When morning came there were tears, laughs, hugs, and many promises to keep in touch. Ed made sure to tell Double D to not let anyone experiment on his brain and Eddy kicked the teen before yelling for the sock-head to become a rich billionaire like Eddy had plans to be. After laughing at their antics, Edd glanced over at Kevin's house with a sad, wistful gaze for only a moment before hugging his two friends and getting in the car. Edd drove away, not looking back.

* * *

Fingering the business card with Kevin's cell number on it, he couldn't help the sad smile that appeared on his face. His crush was obviously just resting, dormant in his heart, waiting to meet the redhead once more it seemed. Now that he thought about it, anyone he dated, he compared to the jock. None of his relationships ever truly lasted or get very far. No one was Kevin Barr, and that irritated Edd a little bit. He knew Kevin was straight, how couldn't he be? He went out with girls all the time in high school and the rumors that circulated about the man's sex life were often back by the sexy man himself.

Picking himself up off the floor, Edd sighed. His heart seemed content to allow him to die alone it seemed. Moving further into the house, he checked the time, it was a quarter to three in the afternoon. Too early for dinner, too late for lunch. Sighing again, he placed the card and the prescription on the counter. Hmm…He'd forgotten about the medicine. He would need that tonight for his throat, but his car was at the station and the pharmacy was a long walk.

Absentmindedly, his hand pulled his phone from his pocket and he stared at it. Should he text Kevin about it? He seemed sincere when he said to text for anything, maybe he could take him to the pharmacy to get his meds. He pulled his lip between his teeth, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before gently poking buttons on the screen.

 _[Salutations Kevin. I apologize for bothering you, however it seems I have forgotten about my prescription. Would it be possible to inquire about a ride to the pharmacy after work?]_

Re-reading the text a few times before actually sending it, Edd placed the phone on the kitchen counter before turning and leaving the room. He really needed a bath and a change of clothes. Twenty minutes later, the scientist moved slowly into the kitchen. Dressed in loose blues jeans and a black button-up shirt, beanie missing from his wet hair as it pooled lightly around his shoulders. A little green blinking light flashed from his phone, signaling the receipt of a new message. Reading it, Edd smiled as a fluttering in his stomach made him squirm slightly before he moved further into the kitchen to make something light for dinner. He had a few hours before Kevin would come for him but he couldn't fight the excitement that was building in him at the chance to see Kevin again.

 _[No prob. 6:30.]_

* * *

Yay for chapter 3! I apologize if this story seems a bit slow and for this chapter being a bit shorter than the other two. I have a feeling this will be longer than I originally thought.

Special thanks for **Ash the orange** and **Azully** for their lovely reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me! I'm always very critical of my works so I'm happy you're enjoying this as much as I am!

I'm hoping to have chapter 4 up next week. My goal is to try and update weekly if I'm able to, I really don't have a lot going on in my life right now so, fingers crossed I can do this! If I can't, I'll do my best to update everyone on the status of the story on my profile here and on tumblr.

Thanks again!

Reina


	4. ConfusED

**Justice is ServED**

 _ConfusED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

* * *

Kevin didn't know how long he'd been sitting in his car after returning, but he couldn't bring himself to get out and go back into the station. His left arm rested on the window jam and his hand rested against his lips as he stared impassively out the windshield. The car was off but with the window down a cool breeze wafted through the car every once in a while, rustling his red fringe that fell through the hole in his cap. Edd was on his mind and wouldn't leave it. The whole way to the precinct, Kevin's mind was cycling through question after question repeatedly.

Why did he come back? Hadn't he said he wouldn't? Why did he cut off all contact with _everyone_? As far as he knew, even Ed and Eddy hadn't heard much from him before they too left town. How long has he been back in Peach Creek? Why did he live at his parents' house and how has he done so without Kevin finding out? Kevin still lived in the cul-de-sac for crying out loud! Why did Kevin even care about the dork? They weren't really friends, merely acquaintances who acknowledged each other's existence.

There was one question though that interrupted his thoughts often. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, no matter how much he didn't want to think about it. He'd spent the last six or so years trying not to think about it but despite his best efforts there were constant reminders. He knew he couldn't run away from this anymore, he was going to have to face it head on, but could he do it?

 _Why did Edd kiss him and then leave?_

Biting down lightly on a knuckle, Kevin took a deep breath, letting it out in a huff then rolled the window up and got out of the car. Shoving his hands into his jacket pockets he slowly made his way into the building. Upon entering the station, he was surprised when several people came up to him as he passed through security asking, more like demanding, to know the condition of the "adorable new tech". These were mostly women, but a few of the male officers inquired about the health of the dork as well and Kevin was taken aback at the show of concern for a man they'd just met.

Internally, Kevin felt a small swell of happiness go through him, he'd never seen so many people have genuine concern for Edd. He knew the dork would be overjoyed at so many people concerned for his well-being. It wasn't until he was almost to his desk that he realized what he had thought. Why did he care if people cared about the man? Furrowing his brows together as he glared at the floor while making his way to his desk, he shook his head, resolving to figure it out later, he had a job to do.

Today has been one hell of a day so far already and he couldn't waste his time worrying about the dweeb at the moment. He needed to catch a killer. He couldn't dwell on the man or the confused feelings he was having about the nerd. It wasn't that he hated Double D, it was more the fact that he was _happy_ the man had returned that confused him more. That kiss the night of graduation had thrown him off and was the start of a series of events that Kevin wouldn't change for anything. In a way, he was grateful to Edd for having the guts to do what he did, it quite literally changed his entire life. But, it _had_ changed his entire life and he couldn't deny that there were some negative feelings that were embedded in his heart as a result of the man's actions.

Falling heavily onto his desk chair he booted up his desktop computer and waited for the machine. For now, he would sate only a part of his curiosity. The part that was wondering about his reaction to Kevin's outburst about him living with his parents. The detective knew that Edd's relationship with the two who should have raised him was strained at best. He also knew that despite how irresponsible and neglectful Edd's parents were, the nerd still loved them dearly.

Kevin was ignoring the noise and movements around him, and he was doing well, until a hand ghosted along the back of his neck and he growled lashing out behind him. He knew it was Nat, knew the man's reflexes would save him from being hit by his fist, but he pulled his punch a bit anyway. A sniggering laugh reached his ears before he caught sight of his partner grinning mischievously at him as he danced out of Kevin's reach.

"Woah there tiger, you can't kill your partner!" Nat laughed as he pulled his own chair over to the fuming detective who'd turned his attention back to his computer screen. Gold eyes watched him curiously as the redhead didn't respond and instead Google searched Double D. "What, doing a background check on the cutie pie? You know the precinct already does that don't you?" Ignoring the teal-haired man for the moment as Kevin scrolled through the first page of results, found the nerd's parents' names then searched for them. "You're searching for his parents?" Nat sounded confused, but then again Kevin couldn't blame him. He hadn't told anyone at all about what happened between him and Double D.

A grunt answered him as the man scrolled through the results before his eyes widened when they landed on a link that sparked his interest. Upon clicking it, an article with the headline, _Husband and Wife Scientist Duo Killed in Horrific Accident_ , was the first thing that popped up. Scanning through the article from a newspaper from a few cities over, emerald eyes widening the more he read. How could he not have heard about this? Is this why Edd moved back? Scanning for a date he saw that the article was from late January, it was May now. There's no way Edd's been back that long without him finding out…right? Sighing heavily after closing the browser he glanced at the smirking Nat next to him.

"Dude, I don't think I've ever seen you like this. What is it about the adorkable new tech that has your panties in a twist?" Kevin leaned back in his chair and rolled his eyes at Nat's choice of words. Removing his cap and flinging it onto his desk, he messed with his hair before running his hands over his face. Edd coming back was affecting him more than he cared to admit.

"Maybe later dude. I don't feel like waitin' anymore so let's go crack the dipshit." Nat stood and followed the distracted detective. It was true that he'd never seen Kevin so preoccupied but he thought they told each other everything, that he knew everything there was to know about his partner. One would think he'd feel upset that his partner was keeping something from him but a small smile crept onto his face instead. Kevin had something he was hiding and Nat could feel that it was positively _juicy_. He'd wait for the man to tell him, because tell him, he would! Even if he had to handcuff the man to himself to get it out.

* * *

Jordon MacConnell sneered at the two detectives as they came into the interrogation room. Kevin had a folder and a cup of water and his face was schooled into a blank stare as he placed both items on the table. Nat spun one of the chairs around and straddled the seat, draping his arms on the back of the chair. The redhead opted to remain standing and the two men just stared hard at the suspect across the table. Both men had decided to go with their Interrogation Tactic Number 3, Nat liked to call it The Stare-down.

"Well, howdy ho, how's yer little _bitch_ doin?" Neither man so much as twitched. They knew he was trying to upset them, to make them flustered but the two detectives have been doing this for a while and very little affected them in this room. The two detectives could easily ignore crass statements like that roll over them and not allow it to affect them. The whole point of going with this tactic was because the man didn't crack earlier when Nat actually questioned him out right. This time, they would wait until MacConnell grew nervous from the silent blank stares he was receiving and eventually – hopefully - he would just talk on his own.

That was the plan. Sometimes this plan didn't work so well. There were occasions when they had full blown staring contests until one of the two detectives, usually Kevin, would snap and start yelling. That was usually enough to get people to start talking, though. Kevin didn't like criminals thinking they could manipulate him, but sometimes he allowed it to get them to lower their guard. It was surprising how easy it could be to manipulate a criminal who thought they were manipulating you.

The silence stretched for several long minutes and Nat was having a difficult time of keeping his blank face as he watched MacConnell's face cycle through several different expressions. Smug, irritation, anger, back to smug, so on and so forth. This big brute of a guy wasn't as smart as he probably thought he was if he was showing the two detectives exactly what he was thinking. It didn't take much longer for him to sneer once more and place his cuffed hands on the table, leaning forward slightly.

"Hey, you think that lil' fag o' yers likes it up the ass?" Nat fought to keep his expression blank, he knew the guy was just fishing for something to rile them up and he prayed it wouldn't work. Nat was pretty pissed already but he didn't know the new kid, not like Kevin seemed to. But, he couldn't look at Kevin to see his reaction because that would validate the asshole across from them, whether it was true or not. But Nathan knew his partner and what he hoped was that the man was in his 'ignoring the asswipe until something substantial came out of his face' stage of the interrogation. The lack of movement or sound from the man standing next to him made him feel better, but the lack of reaction out of both detectives royally pissed MacConnell off.

"The fuck is wrong with you? Ain't you supposed to be asking me questions an' shit? You guys ain't got nothin' on me! You can't keep me here!" A grin eased its' way onto Nat's face as MacConnell's face turned red with anger. He glanced at Kevin who nodded slightly at his silent question, this interrogation was his then, it seemed.

"Is that so?" he questioned, his tone light and curious as the grin on his face only grew when the man across the table stiffened and clenched his jaw shut tight and little beads of sweat gathered on his forehead.

"Fuck yeah! I ain't done shit!" Nat chuckled this time and settled his chin on his arms, tilting his head in amusement. Gold eyes sparkled at their suspect, god he loved his job! It was a hobby of his to see how far he could push people until they reacted, and he loved to see those reactions. It gave him a sort of joy, knowing he was using his powers of being a gigantic pain-in-the-ass to his advantage.

"What about earlier? Or is your memory like a goldfishies?" The childish tone Nat used seemed to startle the suspect for a moment before he slammed his hands on the table in a show of anger. If he was hoping to startle or make the two detectives flinch, he was sorely disappointed when Nat's grin merely grew and Kevin smirked.

"This is bullshit!"

"Look MacConnell," Kevin finally spoke, "You were the one who tried to run. You took hostage and assaulted an innocent civilian. We can hold you on that alone. What we brought you in for, was the murder of Sam Dunhill, and we have a witness placing you at the scene only minutes before the victim died." Kevin spoke evenly, merely stating some of the facts they had at the moment. They needed MacConnell to identify the other man they knew he was with and find the murder weapon in order to close this case. It was fairly straight-forward, just a mugging gone bad, some poor soul was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I ain't no snitch asshole!" Kevin chuckled.

"Maybe not, but you just admitted to being an accessory to murder. Right now, you'll be charged with that, assault, attempted kidnapping, and resisting arrest. You're lucky you didn't touch me when I chased you this morning, otherwise I could add assaulting an officer." Kevin listed off, one finger for each charge. Nat grinned before he added.

"You know what the max amount of jail time you're looking at right now for all of that?" When the brute of a man just glared and growled at the amused detectives Nat's smile turned a bit sadistic. He leaned forward, fingers wrapping around the top of the chair and his gold eyes filled with amusement hardened.

"It's about thirty-four years in a maximum security prison." The room was silent for several moments and the man across the detectives was beginning to sweat more profusely. His hands curled tightly into fists and he began to shake before he relaxed slightly and a smirk settled on the man's face.

"I wanna lawyer." Kevin frown at that, just when the guy was starting to talk he had to ask for a bloody lawyer. The two detectives stood at that point and walked out of the room ignoring their suspect's evil grin. They would have to wait for the city to send a defense attorney before they could speak to the man again and that irritated Kevin to no end.

"Well, since we have nothing else we can do, how about we go get some food and you tell me _all_ about the yummy new tech you're so hung up on, hmm?" Green eyes rolled as Kevin followed his partner out into the main lobby. They told an officer in the Processing area to take care of MacConnell and call him a lawyer and then them when the attorney arrived before making their way out of the building.

* * *

"So, how do you know sweet cheeks?" Nat said before taking a bite of his burger, watching the redhead with a raised brow before waving a hand in the direction of the elderly woman who smiled from behind the bar. They'd gone to a diner just down the street from the station. It was a mom and pop run place that all the officers frequently visited and the owners absolutely loved having them, the man's own son having served with the precinct for years before being tragically killed while on duty. Turning gold eyes back across the table he eyed Kevin interestedly. Kevin wasn't normally this quiet about anything so Nat was extremely curious about what could possibly be distracting his partner.

Moving a fry through the ketchup on his plate, Kevin thought for several moments about what to say. He knew Nat wouldn't have a problem with what happened or what Kevin was going through. In fact, the nosy detective would probably butt in and try to fix everything despite what Kevin may or may not want. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell the man either though. He'd spent so long burying the memories and feelings, or at least trying to, that he was pretty sure he might have forced himself into denial. But could anyone really blame him? He'd been a kid back then. After several seconds of silence, he sighed before speaking.

"We were neighbors growing up. Us and a bunch of other kids in my cul-de-sac all grew up together. We weren't friends. He used to hang out with this gigantic asshole and another guy and they would try and scam the others outta their money." Kevin ate the thoroughly ketchup-soaked fry before taking a bite of his own burger, not looking at Nat.

"So, you hate him?" Nat questioned, from what everyone told him, Kevin had acted more like a concerned friend than anything when the cutie was being held hostage. Was that just the protectiveness coming out in him or was there something else? It didn't make much sense to the teal-haired man. His partner shook his head and swallowed before continuing.

"Nah, never hated the guy. He was super smart, always friendly, a bit weird, but he was a good guy. Used to get picked on in high school like you wouldn't believe but he was always smiling, always helpful, even to people who'd hit him." A small smile appeared on Kevin's face as he recalled a memory from years ago.

"Ya know, I once saw a big guy push him into a locker so hard he blacked out for several seconds. Then, a few weeks later, that same guy was begging the kid to help him pass a test so he could play in the basketball championship game, and the kid just smiled and said he'd help! Who the fuck does that?" Kevin mumbled the last bit, his brow furrowed like he was trying to sort out his thoughts.

"Wow, I wouldn't that's for sure. But I don't really care about that. I wanna know why you looked like your brain was hurting when you came back from takin' him home?" The redhead put his burger down and took a swig of his soda, looking away from Nat and around at the other diners in the building. Nat knew he was trying to avoid the real reason for acting odd today, but come hell or high water, the teal-haired detective was going to find out. They couldn't work with him if there was animosity between them, it just doesn't make for a very good working environment.

"Dude, I've never told anyone this but, the night of graduation," green eyes looked down at his food and the hand he had resting on the table clenched into a fist, "He kissed me. Told me he didn't want to regret not telling me how he felt about me and then the next day he ran away." Nat stared wide-eyed at Kevin, that was not what he was expecting. Despite that though, he was having a hard time containing his grin.

"So, smarty-pants is gay?" A dull shrug was his answer. Kevin took another bite of his burger, still avoiding Nat's eyes. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what the other was thinking, good or bad, either way, Kevin knew it probably wasn't good for him anyway. Nat would interfere, that's what he did, that's what he'll always do, and Kevin knew this. He knew this but he also knew that Nat always – mostly – had good intentions.

"But that wasn't what bothered you, was it?" Nat knew Kevin had nothing against homosexuals or anyone that wasn't society's definition of "normal". Nat himself was pansexual and that was the first thing Nat told him when they met, well after hitting on him of course. Smiling fondly at the memory of a wide-eyed Kevin and his confused response of _, "Okay, so what? You still seem like a pretty cool dude,"_ always made him happy. That was why they worked so well together, Kevin accepted him for all that he was, not in a romantic sense but in a brotherly sort of way.

"Not even a little, but that's now. I won't deny it Nat, but I freaked the fuck out that night. I went to a party, couldn't get the nerd off my mind, especially the kiss. Everything changed because of that night." Gold eyes widened, now he understood why Kevin seemed so confused by everything.

"You mean, that was-" Kevin nodded cutting him off midsentence.

"I know it's not his fault and I won't deny that when I saw him again I was fucking happy to see his stupid ass but, Nat, I haven't exactly had time to come to terms with any of those feelings, _if_ there are any." Kevin looked unsure of himself. It was understandable for Kevin to not know how he felt, he'd been pretty busy the last six years, focusing on work and his personal life. He needed reassurance and Nat could definitely provide him that.

"Look dude, we're in a profession that forces us to risk our lives daily, that's the nature of law enforcement. I'm not going to tell you to choose between anything because you don't have to. What you need to do is realize that if you find happiness somewhere, you should go with it. Things never happen the way we want or think they should but let me tell ya: if you're going to deny yourself the chance to be happy just because you're scared to think about this, then you're gonna be alone for the rest of your life."

Kevin watched Nat as he spoke. He was right, Kevin knew that. He'd been without someone for a very long time and the loneliness was starting to get to him. Edd, Edd was someone Kevin knew, someone he knew he could trust. But did he really think of him that way? Sighing as he played with a fry, he nodded. Maybe he could try and see how things went. He wouldn't deny himself if he truly felt attracted to the guy. He'd never forgotten about that kiss and often thought about it when he saw or heard something that reminded him of the nerd. So maybe…

"What if he doesn't feel that way anymore?" Kevin mumbled throwing a half-eaten fry on his plate and reaching for his phone next to him after it vibrated. Poking a few a few buttons on the screen his brow creased slightly.

"Then you move on or try and rekindle the flame." Nat smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively when Kevin glanced up at him with a raised brow. He snorted lightly in response before his attention returned to his phone and his fingers flew over the screen as he typed out a text and set the phone back after he sent it.

"We forgot to get Double D's meds, I'll have to take him after work. Would you mind-," Nat shook his head no while drinking his soda.

"Nope, I'll take care of it. So, why do you call him Double D?"

"Hmm? Oh, his name's Eddward, with two D's. His two friends were also named Edward so we called one Ed, the asshole was Eddy and Double D." Kevin shrugged as if it was common knowledge taking a large bite from his burger then stuffing a few fries into his mouth too. Nat watched him slightly grossed out at the amount of food the man had shoved in his mouth. How he didn't choke was beyond the teal-haired detective.

"I see. So Double D huh?" Nat watched Kevin very carefully from the corner of his eyes as he finished his own burger, a small smirk on his face. The name was cute, but Nat was curious if Kevin was going to claim that only he could call the man by the childhood nickname. If he did, Nat would know which direction Kevin's feelings were leaning toward, not that he didn't already have an inkling. His smirk grew wider when the man twitched slightly and glared at his partner burger stuffed in his mouth, pausing mid-bite. Nat laughed obnoxiously and Kevin blushed lightly at having been figured out. A cheery tune sounded from Nat's jacket pocket and he pulled out his phone.

"Gorgeous Detective Nat speaking, how may I _ass-_ ist you?" he sang into the phone. Kevin choked lightly on his burger at the man's greeting as he laughed and inhaled a piece of meat. Thumping his chest a few times and gulping down his soda while Nat laughed hysterically, Kevin blushed in embarrassment. They've been friends since entering the academy together but Nat still managed to surprise him after all these years. Once he was able to breathe again, Kevin chuckled slightly, his embarrassment fading despite the many stares the two men were still receiving from the other patrons of the diner.

"Roger that, missy, we'll be back soon," Nat ended the call and reached for his wallet, slamming a few bills on the table and standing, "Patty says both lawyers have arrived at the station." Kevin nodded shoved a few more fries in his mouth and laid a few bills of his own on the table before the two made their way out of the building, waving slightly at the elderly woman who shouted a 'take care' as the door swung shut behind them.

* * *

Yay Chapter 4! I had so much trouble trying to decide how I wanted this to go. I literally had two different ideas and several more angles I could have used but I think I preferred this one. That's partially what took me so long to post it. I'm hoping to get the next chapter finished soon. I ended up adding a lot so the chapter that was supposed to be next is gonna have to wait a while.

Hopefully the flooding where I am doesn't get worse otherwise I might not be able to post as soon as I'd hope. I'm lucky where I am but it's never flooded like this before so anything can happen. Fingers crossed!

Anyway thanks for reviewing - for those who have and those who will!


	5. ConflictED

**Justice is ServED**

 _ConflictED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

 _**I am also not an expert on the criminal justice system! If I got anything wrong or there are discrepancies, PLEASE let me know! I'm trying to be as accurate as I can but I can't guarantee it'll be perfect._

* * *

"Kevin Barr you wait right there!" Both men froze in the middle of the lobby as the loud shout echoed throughout the room. A chorus of chuckles and giggles rang through the atrium as Martha waddled through the mass of people and came to stop in front of the two stunned detectives, her hands rested on her hips. Her short purple hair was pulled back from her face by a black band but her purple fringe fell lightly into her brown eyes which glared up half-heartedly at the two.

"Did you get Eddward home alright? Is he okay?" Kevin smiled at the concern from the woman. Honestly, he was a bit upset that Martha was leaving, he'd miss her. She cared about everyone that worked at the station – lab tech, CSI, or officer alike - and was constantly checking up on them if anything happened. It was easy to see that she would be a wonderful mom with how well she took care of everyone at the precinct. But Kevin had known her since he graduated from the academy and could recognize that sharp glint of protectiveness in her eyes.

"Yeah Martha, he'll be fine. Just can't talk until his throat heals." Eyeing him skeptically for a few more seconds before sighing, she smiled at him sweetly. It was hard to imagine that this woman was thirty years old with how young she looked but despite only being a few years older than Kevin and Nat, she'd always taken a shine to the two. If anyone bothered to ask any of the lab techs who their favorite detective duo was, the answer would be Nat and Kevin, hands down. The two relied heavily on the evidence brought in from their crime scenes and often came to them to bounce ideas off of if something proved to be difficult.

Some of the personnel believed this to be a rookie thing to do, some thought it was a weak or pathetic to get opinions from the "lowly" lab techs who never see the cruelty of humanity up close. Many thought that their "gut instinct" was what broke their cases. But Kevin and Nat respected the techs immensely. Their case success rate was one of the highest in the precinct, the highest in the Homicide Unit for sure, because of their collaboration with the lab rats and the CSIs.

"You'll take care of him for me when I leave, won't you? I'd hate to see anything else happen to that poor kid." Martha spoke softly, sadness evident in her tone, but whether it was because of what happened today or because of something else Kevin wasn't sure. He did know that he couldn't very well deny Martha's request, even if those big brown eyes weren't staring straight into his soul. Chuckling softly, he pulled the short woman to him in a one armed hug.

"Of course Martha, I won't let anything else happen to him." Nat glanced at his partner with a raised brow. They both knew that wasn't possible, anything can happen, but Nat also knew that Kevin was serious about what he said. His tone left no room for argument and he'd said it with such conviction that Nat felt it in his bones. Smiling slightly what Nat liked to call Kevin's "mama bear" attitude, Nat followed the two to the back of the lobby before they split up and headed back to the interrogation room. Moving toward the door they saw a tall man in a suit laughing good-naturedly with one of the officers.

"Hey Marshal, how's it going? How's Nazz doin?" Kevin said, extending his hand out to shake the blonde man's hand. A wide smile showing perfect white teeth spread on the man's face as he grabbed Kevin's hand firmly. The man's hair was short and slicked back in a professional look and his crisp and neatly pressed blue suit added to that image.

Marshal Frost was a lawyer with the District Attorney's office and was usually their go to prosecutor. He was an amazing lawyer and worked well with Nat and Kevin. The older man was a great guy and an even better friend. Kevin had introduced his childhood friend Nazz to him a few years ago and the two had hit it off quite well. Well enough to have gotten married last year and are expecting their first child in about six months. Kevin couldn't be happier that Nazz had finally found a soulmate but she now had this weird idea that she needed to help him find a spouse because he helped with her happily ever after. The redhead has been dodging crazy women for years because of his well-meaning friend.

"Kevin, Nat, good to see you! Nazz is great! She can't wait for next weekend," he said, leaning in and speaking the last part quietly before winking. The two detectives chuckled in response as an officer, Patty, came up to them and handed Marshal a folder. The men grew serious, it was time to work.

"Alright, so I went over your copy of the file while I waited for you. Attempted escape, kidnapping, and assault? Seriously?" Marshal's blue eyes narrowed incredulous as he waited for Kevin's nod of confirmation.

"Yeah, and that's not even what we brought him in for." Nat spoke running a hand through his hair before squeaking and rushing to the nearest reflective surface he could find to fix his hair. Kevin rolled his eyes at Nat's behavior. The man was obsessed with his hair, that probably would never change, but the two men were used to Nat's behavior and Marshal didn't even bat an eye.

"I heard, how's the new kid? He alright?" Kevin told him what he'd told everyone else before he explained his theory on the murder case they were currently investigating once Nat returned with a relieved sigh, hair perfectly in place.

"Jordan MacConnell, is suspected of being an accessory to the murder of Sam Dunhill. We have a witness that has ID'ed him and another unknown male being present at the scene with the victim before the man was found dead. No murder weapon was found but we've got Mel and Pres looking into what it could be. We don't think this guy actually killed him though." Marshal nodded as he listened intently.

"Witness claims that a shorter man she couldn't see too well was accosting the vic and demanding his money. Said the big guy seemed to only be there for muscle. We weren't able to get any info out of MacConnell though, he clammed up and asked for a lawyer." Nat added pulling his black suit jacket sleeves straight before eyeing a small stain on the inside of his elbow with a small frown.

"Alright then, I think it would be best to file the accessory charge separate from the other three, this way he'll get the full sentence for hurting one of our own at the very least." The redhead nodded as he shoved his hands into his jacket. Kevin knew Marshal would do what he thought was best for the victims and the redhead trusted his judgement without question. They'd been through a lot of cases together, not always seeing eye to eye but the three of them had a knack for getting murderers off the streets. "Then let's see if we can't get you guys a lead or two." The three grinned at each other before heading into the interrogation room.

Upon entering the room MacConnell stopped talking and glared harshly at the detectives before a sneer graced his lips and he sat back, fully relaxed in his chair next to a tired looking man in a rumpled suit. His brown hair was a slight mess and he had large black bags under his black eyes as he looked up and winced at seeing Marshal who merely smiled cheerfully.

"Phil, nice to see you again," the man said as he took the only chair left in the room and laid out his file and a legal pad. He took a pen from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and situated himself before pretending to go over the files in front of him. Several moments passed, silence filling the room before the exhausted Defense lawyer sighed heavily.

"Marshal, my client has agreed to give your detectives a statement and information about the crime in exchange for just a fine." Kevin frowned. Seriously? The guy was trying to get off with just paying money? Hell no! Marshal laughed hollowly before looking up at the two with hard eyes.

"I'm afraid that's not good enough Phil," he ignored the heavy sigh of frustration from the other attorney before continuing, "The prosecution is filing two different cases, one for accessory to murder, and another for assault, attempted kidnapping, and resisting arrest. He has no chance of getting off easy with the latter as there is video evidence and an entire police station filled with witnesses. The accessory charge however, we're willing to give reduced sentencing but your client will not get off with just a fine."

MacConnell was seething as he clenched his fists on the table. The haggard looking lawyer rolled his eyes then looked to his client. He knew Marshal was one of the best prosecutors in Peach Creek, he knew that it would literally take a miracle for him to even get a reduced sentence. Advising his client to take the deal was going to be the toughest part of all this. And all Phil really wanted to do was go home. Looking to the tall blonde he jerked his head to the door and Marshal smiled and stood.

"We'll give you a few minutes with your client to discuss our terms. He gives up his friend and we push for a reduced sentence on the accessory charge, and only the accessory charge." At Phil's nod the three men walked from the room, Marshal leaving his notepad and a pen in the room for MacConnell to use, as Phil didn't seem to have been prepared. Once the door shut behind them Nat couldn't hold in the laughter that had built in his chest. Shouting could be heard through the door and all three men waiting outside couldn't fight the grins on their faces.

While they waited, Kevin pulled his jacket sleeve up and checked his watch. It read twenty to six and Kevin groaned inwardly. He hoped they could finish this up soon. The detectives had places to be and they were already working on overtime today. A fluttering in his stomach made him pause when he thought about what he had to do once he got off work. He was going to see Double D again. He wasn't sure if he was feeling nervous or excited about it and whether it was good or bad but he was determined to find out. He was tired of being alone and it wouldn't hurt to have another person he trusted in his life, right?

Shifting from one foot to the other, he nearly cheered when the door opened and Phil walked out of the room looking like he'd run a marathon with his legs tied. Practically throwing the legal pad at Marshal he huffed rudely.

"He'll take the damn deal. We'll see you in court Frost."

Kevin grinned, taking the pad from Marshal and read through the paragraph written on the yellow paper, Nat peering over his shoulder. MacConnell gave them a name, what the weapon was, and a location along with his rendition of what took place leading up to and after the murder.

"Awesome! I'll go make a copy of this and then we can get the hell outta here!" Nat proclaimed as he swiped the pad from Kevin's fingers and raced to the nearest copy machine. The two men he left behind chuckled at his antics before Kevin turned to Marshal.

"Are you guys sure you can do next weekend? I'll understand if you can't," the redhead inquired worriedly. Marshal just gave him a big smile and nodded just as Nat made his way back to over to them and gave the notepad back to the prosecutor.

"It's no problem Kevin, Nazz is really looking forward to it. Well, I've got to run, Nazz told me to pick up dinner. Keep me posted on the investigation, have a good night guys." Two firm handshakes later and the lawyer was making his way through the busy lobby to the front of the building. Kevin sighed in relief then fist bumped Nat as he said he'd see him tomorrow morning before jogging out of the station and to the Charger.

His pulse quickened as he slid into the drivers' seat and started the car. Since he'd resolved to not deny himself in regards to Edd, Kevin had to admit that he was a bit excited to see the dork once more, even if it was just for a little bit. The corner of his mouth lifted up a little as he pulled from the parking lot and made his way to the scientist's house.

Talking with Nat earlier had definitely helped him sort some of his feelings about the nerd and he was feeling more relaxed now than he did when he was eighteen, but he supposed that was understandable. He had grown up a lot over the years, he was probably better equipped to handle such weird feelings now, right? Shaking his head slightly as he slowed the car to a stop at a red light, he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and texted Double D that he was on his way over and would be there soon. Hopefully by that time the butterflies in Kevin's stomach will have settled down.

* * *

Edd smiled softly at his phone as he read a recent text message from Kevin, the detective was on his way to pick him up. Placing his phone into his front jean pocket, he moved to the small kitchen table in the center of the kitchen and picked up the now empty bowl. After washing it and placing it on the drying rack next to the sink he hurried up the stairs to his room. Running long fingers through his silky black hair he pulled a clean black beanie from the top drawer of his dresser and looked into the mirror attached to the piece of furniture.

Blue eyes roamed over the stark white bandage that covered the small cuts on his neck. Small patches of blue and red bruises peeked out from above and below the dressings. He was aware of the pain from the cuts and bruising and had a hard enough time swallowing even the cool broth he had for dinner. Edd has always been proud of his high tolerance for pain, but whether it was genetic or from years of being picked on and beaten, he wasn't sure. But that didn't diminish how pleased he was that he had it. Many people have called him weak but despite everything he's been through in his life, he was proud of himself.

Pulling the beanie on as he walked out of his bedroom he heard the rev of an engine pass by his house and his gut twisted in excitement. Was Kevin here already? Taking a deep breath to calm his nervously beating heart and the giddiness that made him wring his hands gently in front of him. It's not like this was a date or anything so why was he feeling so nervous! Heading to the kitchen he grabbed his house keys, wallet, and the prescription just in case it really was Kevin that he'd heard. The silence of the house filled his ears. Maybe that was the real cause for his odd emotions.

Edd was lonely. That was a given. He'd always been a lonely child without his parents but having Ed and Eddy obviously staved off a good portion of the depressing hollowness that he felt now that he was truly alone. Was he getting too excited over the fact that Kevin has shown that he didn't hate Edd? Did he really believe that the detective would want to be friends with him now that he was back and they worked in the same place? According to Kevin, they also lived in their childhood homes across the street from each other once more so was this really his crush coming back or hopeful wanting of a friend?

Sighing the beanie-clad man slowly moved to the living room and settled slowly in one of the lounge chairs. He was overthinking things, as he always did. Kevin most likely was just being nice to a colleague, he probably wanted no more to do with Edd than he did when they were younger. There was no point in getting his hopes up only to have them shot down as he knew they would be.

Determination filled him and he nodded his head to himself resolutely. Edd wouldn't think too much into anything Kevin did, he would just acknowledge the man and if anything came to fruition then so be it. A short series of knocks on his front door interrupted the man, shaking him from his own thoughts. Swallowing nervously, he stood and slowly opened the front door, coming face to chest with Kevin Barr, object of his teenaged fantasies and current thoughts.

"Hey, you, uh, ready to go?" Blue eyes travelled slowly up Kevin's well-built chest – even through the shirt and jacket Edd could tell – and flickered over the curve of his strong jaw and further up over lightly blushed cheeks to gaze into endless pools of green.

 _Oh dear, I believe this may very well be a terrible decision_. Edd thought as his gut twisted and he instantly felt the urge to grab the taller man and crush their lips together. The only time in Edd's life that he ever let such an urge overtake him was that night six years ago. Since then Edd has kept a firm grip on his urges, but none of them had ever been as strong as they felt when around the redhead and Edd knew it.

Nodding silently as he slipped on a pair of black loafers, Edd was happy for the first time today that he shouldn't talk. He probably couldn't anyway, at least not without squeaking oddly. Stepping through the doorway then locking the door after shutting it, he followed Kevin over to the black Charger and eased himself into the passenger seat. He smiled weakly at the redhead as he buckled his seatbelt. Silence had fallen over the two but Edd didn't think it felt awkward. As odd as that should have made him feel, it was actually comforting to know that Kevin wasn't, at least visibly, uncomfortable being near Edd.

"So…How's your throat feeling?" The tentative inquiry surprised the scientist as the silence was broken when Kevin stopped at a red light and slightly turned to him. "Is it worse? Does it hurt?" Edd smiled softly at the concern tinting Kevin's tone. Not wanting to lie but also not wanting the man to feel bad; Edd settled for shrugging slightly and tilting his hand up and down slowly, hoping to show Kevin that he was not good but not bad, just okay. He was apparently successful in that endeavor as Kevin nodded curtly, focusing once more on the road ahead of them.

The scientist couldn't help the fuzzy tingly feelings that started in his toes and worked its way up his body at the worry the other man was showing for him. Although he had promised himself not to get his hopes up, he couldn't help but feel some sense of satisfaction from the man's show of emotion for his injuries. He knew then that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise to himself but well, after coming face to face once more with the gorgeous man, he wasn't sure he wanted to stop before he'd even started. Maybe there was still some hope?

"Well, just don't talk and hopefully it'll heal quickly. Martha made me promise to keep an eye on you, make sure nothing else happens to you while she's gone." Kevin smirked at the shorter man next to him and Edd's genuine smile fell into a fake one. And there was the crushing of the small spark of hope that maybe Kevin liked even just a teensy bit as a friend. He was an adult for goodness sake, he didn't need a babysitter! He wanted a friend… Sighing once more Edd nodded, looking out the window as they pulled into the pharmacy parking lot. Kevin said he wait in the car and Edd just nodded before leaving to go get his prescription filled and maybe some soothing teas.

* * *

Tapping the steering wheel lightly with his fingers, Kevin stared at the brick wall of the pharmacy as he waited for Edd to return. Even though he hadn't been watching Double D closely, he'd still seen the way his smile fell after mentioning the promise and that had him wondering what he'd said that was so wrong. Kevin Barr was not the most sensitive of men, or people really, and he knew this. Frowning he thought about what he could have possibly done to upset the man.

Groaning loudly, he slumped back in his seat. After removing his cap and running his hand through his slightly sweaty hair before replacing it, Kevin decided to not think about it anymore. Chances were he wouldn't figure it out anyway, at least not without Edd telling him and he knew that wouldn't happen, so why waste the energy. What he'd rather think about was why his stomach did several flips and why certain parts of his body reacted interestingly to seeing the beanie-clad man all freshly showered and smelling absolutely wonderful.

He wouldn't deny it, the second Edd opened his front door and Kevin caught a whiff of minty lavender and the way those big blue gems stared cutely up at him, Kevin actually had to force himself to not move from his spot, to not move even one muscle. If he had, he knew that he would have thrown the thin man against the front door and ravaged his soft, plump pink lips like they'd been lovers for years.

He'd felt the desire course through him and although it terrified him immensely, he wasn't put off by it he found. He wasn't disgusted with the fact that he'd just had a fantasy of shoving Double Dorko into a wall and plunging his tongue down his throat. He wasn't repulsed by the fact that he, vaguely, thought about what Edd's dick might looked like. He wasn't even remotely grossed out by wondering what the man would taste like as he ran his tongue up and down his neck and chest and…other things.

 _Fuck…_ Work was going to be hard now. He did find it a bit odd that he found Double D so attractive when he'd never thought of another man like that in his life. Hell, Nat had come on to him when they had first met and he'd responded by punching him in the gut. Maybe it was just the nerd…ah fuck who cares. Maybe he was just horny as fuck because he hasn't gotten laid in a while. But life and work always got in the way and those two things made it quite difficult to find someone to spend time with.

Kevin wasn't really into one night stands anymore anyway, he has responsibilities now. He wanted something more stable, something more long-term. An actual relationship, with depth and love and damn when did he get so sentimental? Chuckling lightly to himself he shrugged off his sappy feelings. Who the fuck cares if he was being girly about it? Kevin knew what he wanted and he didn't give two shits about what other people said about it.

He kind of wanted to see how things between Edd and him would go. But should he say something to Edd? Should he ask him if he remembers that night all those years ago? Should he bring it up at all? He knew that even if Edd wasn't gay, he'd definitely felt something for Kevin back then and the way he'd looked at Kevin earlier when he picked him up…well, let's just say Kevin will probably be using that image later tonight. Much, much later…and possibly in the shower. But again, was he feeling _feelings_ or was it just lust?

He's known Edd practically his whole life, but people change and Kevin knows this all too well. What if Double D has changed, what if he's changed a lot? Kevin didn't think he could handle the betrayal, especially if it came from Edd. But Edd's always been a sweet kid. Despite the influence of Eddy, the nerdy boy had never really tried to hurt anyone, he merely wanted friendship. He was helpful and kind and caring. Granted he had a bit of a weird alter ego when he really got excited and let loose but he was still… _Edd._ And he still _was_ just Edd.

At this point, Kevin saw the thin man exit the building with a plastic bag and head toward the car. He'll think about the rest of this at another time. Maybe they could try being friends first? He groaned softly as he looked down and he tried to adjust his jeans discreetly. Thinking of Nat in a bikini (not an imaginary image…Kevin knows not to go with Nat to the beach ever again) after noticing the slight tightness of his jeans from thinking of the scientist he was able to calm his body down before Edd opened the door.

Kevin gave the scientist a nervous smile as he entered the car and neither said a word the rest of the short drive back to the cul-de-sac. Parking in front of his parents' house on the street, the two men exited the car and Kevin offered to walk Edd back to his home. Upon reaching the front door, Edd turned slightly and gazed up at Kevin through his eyelashes shyly as he fiddled with his keys. He gave a nervous half-smile and Kevin remained standing about two feet away from him with his hands in his jacket pockets.

"I'll see you in the morning Double D, just meet me by the car at seven thirty alright?" he spoke slowly and softly, trying to maintain an even tone and not let Edd know just how nervous he was standing there. A silent nod was his answer and the cutest smile he'd ever seen graced Edd's lips before he coughed lightly to cover up his blush, which didn't really work. "Well, uh, have a good night Double Dork." And with that he turned on his heel quickly and made his way across the street, looking back once to see Edd disappearing into his home after a quick wave in Kevin's direction.

 _Ah fuck…I'm gonna need a cold shower I think…_

* * *

So I have Chapter 7 done…but not 6…hahaha…ha…yeah…I'm one of those people who writes sections of stories and then puts them in order and attempts to connect those sections… It's a struggle for me lol. I'm glad I could get chapters 4 and 5 to you as quickly as I did though.

Either way though, this coming week is a busy week for me but I'm hoping to have time this weekend to write chapter 6 and hopefully (fingers crossed) post it before I get too busy. I'm having to change some things plot wise so we'll see.

Anyway, I love getting reviews! Is it weird that I read them every day before I start writing? Lol I honestly get most of my inspiration from people who review and I always take to heart what people say so Please Review! Let me know how it's going for you!

Oh and don't expect any actual loving between the two anytime soon…

ReinaKage


	6. BotherED

**Justice is ServED**

 _BotherED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

* * *

 _Graduation, Six Years Ago, Kevin POV_

Wide green eyes stared listlessly at the empty space in front of him where a trembling, sobbing dork of a teen previously occupied. The jock hadn't moved for several long moments now but his mind was a whirlwind of activity. He'd just been kissed. _By a guy_.

 _A guy just kissed me! Hell, even guys think I'm hot. Why the hell would a guy being attracted to me make me happy? Well, it could be an ugly guy. Double D is kinda cute I guess. What if this was a prank? No, Double D would never… But Eddy always makes Double Dorko do things he doesn't want to do! This could be really bad_! _I'm gonna kill those assholes! It has to be a prank_!

Kevin didn't remember seeing a flash but maybe the dumbasses took a picture. Maybe this was to get back at Kevin for making Eddy kiss Double D when they were kids. He didn't know but he was definitely going to find out what the hell was going on and maybe give them a farewell ass-kicking. Growling lowly in his throat, Kevin removed his fists from his letterman jacket pockets and turned on his heel to stomp up to Double Dork's front door.

He had every intention of pounding on that door, demanding to know just what the hell was going on but the moment he raised his fist to punch at the door, he froze. He expected to hear obnoxiously loud laughter, Eddy's stupid voice saying how he got Kevin, Ed's voice loudly proclaiming something ridiculously off-topic, and Double D either giggling quietly or admonishing Eddy for being, well, Eddy.

This was not what he heard. The sound made his stomach drop and his heart shatter as his anger fled him quickly. Panic rose up within him, as did the desire to make everything better. Sighing lightly once confusion settled over him, he tried to think but the only thing running circles around in his head was to hug the nerd and that terrified him. But despite that fear, his heart and soul demanded to know who hurt the gentle nerd.

Edd was not one to show people or acknowledge if he was hurt. Kevin knew the teen didn't like being an inconvenience to people. He's seen the dork sidestep concerned people quite well and often. He never cared much, Edd's business was Edd's business. But this? This heart-wrenching sound of terrified, anguished sobbing…it hit Kevin hard, like that one tackle his freshman year that knocked him unconscious. Except this time, he was awake. He couldn't escape this. Or could he? Kevin had a feeling that he wasn't the only reason for Edd's tears but there was nothing he could do about them. He felt nothing for the nerd except maybe a sense of respect. That, and he refused to explore the weird staccato his heart was doing as he thought about the crying teen on the other side of the door. Besides, if the jock did anything, he might be giving the kid hope for something more that didn't exist and that would only hurt the teen more.

Torn between kind of wanting to help his childhood whatever-he-was and wanting to make a hasty retreat, Kevin breathed in deeply. He took a step back from the door, then another, before turning around and placing his hands in his jean pockets. When he managed to pull his saddened green eyes from the door he was stopped by the presence of Ed and Eddy. How they'd snuck up on him, was a mystery to him but he played it off like he knew they'd been there the whole time. His eyes narrowed slightly when the shorter teen motioned for the jock to follow him. Eddy's body was stiff and his faced set in a scowl while Ed nervously wrung his hands together and kept glancing back at the door, obviously very worried about the Double Dork.

"Look, Kevin," Eddy started when they reached the end of the dork's driveway, Kevin standing a bit behind the shorter teen, "I can kinda guess what probably happened and normally I'd shit-talk you to piss you off but…" Eddy trailed off, refusing to look at the redhead. He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck before glancing back slightly at Kevin. His face completely neutral.

"Don't…don't tell anyone what happened, alright? Double D's gone through a shit ton'a stuff lately and he doesn't need any more crap." Kevin glared at the ground. This was not what he expected from the short asshole. But then again, the past hour or so was not something he expected to ever happen either. It was definitely odd to see Eddy acting so concerned for someone other than himself but Kevin kind of got it. The asshole squirt was a dick but even he couldn't turn a blind eye to his obviously deeply hurt friend.

"Kevin?" Kevin looked up to see Ed standing in front of him. The teen was a few inches taller than the ex-football captain so he actually had to look up, a fact that had pissed him off quite a bit over the last two years. The big oaf was pleading with him. His eyes big and hopeful but filled with a deep sadness that gave Kevin the feeling that he knew more than people thought he did about the world around him. Still not sure about what the hell was going on, Kevin merely jerked his head in a forceful nod before slipping past Ed and beginning the short walk home.

"Kevin!" Ed called. Growling lightly as he turned back to glare at the tall annoyance, he stopped. "Thanks," was all he got before the two headed toward the gate in the fence of Double D's backyard and Eddy giving a half-hearted wave as he disappeared. Glancing back to the dork's front door, emerald eyes narrowed, but not in disgust. Kevin was feeling a lot of emotions but for some reason he couldn't find that one. That confused him even more. He'd never found guys attractive before, but now? Clicking his tongue when he turned away he stomped the ground lightly with the toe of his shoe. What the hell was wrong with him?

A faint beep sounded from his jacket pocket and sighed then removed his phone. A text from Nazz. Once he read it he paused, thinking it over. A party with college kids huh? Maybe that would help him get his mind off all this, whatever it was. Nodding slightly to himself he sent a reply then opened the door and called out to his parents before shutting it once more and walking away. At the end of the street, he watched Double D's house, no lights were on that he could see, so he turned left and continued walking.

* * *

A loud yawn ripped through Kevin's lips as he stretched his arms out in front of him and rapidly blinked bleary eyes. The sun was just coming up above the houses in the cul-de-sac, coloring the sky in orange-pink hues and warming the surrounding air. Birds chirped sporadically as the man waited, arms folded across his chest and leaning back on the hood of his car as he stared at the house across the street on the corner.

Kevin had gotten very little restful sleep last night and he completely blamed the unknowing and sweet man who lived in said house as he waited. Dark shadows were visible under his bright green eyes, evidence of having spent the majority of the night staring at the ceiling thinking of a certain blue-eyed dork, tossing and turning, and then - after actually falling asleep - dreaming of the man.

He dreamt about how yesterday's incident could have been different. A couple dreams were about Double D being seriously injured or killed. Others were Double D inviting him into his house for 'dinner' as a thank you and 'dinner' turning out to be quite hot and heavy. But then Kevin would wake up, covered in sweat from each one but that last one. That one caused a problem that had to be taken care of in the shower earlier this morning after he was jerked awake by his phone and Nat singing obnoxiously loud telling him to get up and get him some breakfast.

He felt a short vibration from his phone where it was nestled snugly in the back pocket of his jeans but elected to ignore it. Chances were that it was just Nat's fifth text of the morning and Kevin wasn't particularly in the mood for the man at the moment. He needed to figure his feelings out quickly. The nerd has only been here for a day and had confused the living shit out the detective. What was he going to do when the dork showed up? How was he going to be able to look at the man after that dream from this morning?

Emerald eyes glanced quickly at his watch and saw that it was only 7:15 and he still had about fifteen more minutes before Edd would arrive. The dork was notorious for arriving exactly on time - never early, never late, so Kevin didn't expect the man to step quietly in front of him and bend slightly to gaze up at him with worried blue eyes. Gripping his arm tightly to keep from jumping in surprise, Kevin stood up straight and coughed nervously.

"Y-you, uh, you ready?" Not bothering to wait for a reply and choosing to ignore the look of concern from the dork, Kevin turned on his heel toward the driver's door and got in, starting the engine. Just as Edd closed the door firmly, Kevin pulled from the driveway and headed immediately toward the small donut shop around the corner from the cul-de-sac. It was a place that popped up recently but it had that absolute best donuts in all of Peach Creek - and there's a whole precinct of law enforcement that will vouch for them to prove it. It was faint, more of a huff of air, but Kevin heard the dork's breathy giggle when they stopped in a spot in the parking lot. He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, stereotypical cop food, I know, get used to it," he chuckled before both went inside. It didn't take long for them to spend an outrageous amount of money on the sugary treats before they were on their way to the station with a few boxes full of unhealthy deliciousness. The tension that once filled the car evaporated the minute they returned to it and headed off once more.

"So, how's your throat today?" Kevin asked glancing at the man next to him when they came to a red light. Edd smiled reassuringly and nodded before pulling out his phone and typing something quickly before showing Kevin the screen.

 _Bruising/swelling down; cuts not infected; throat sore but better._

Kevin chuckled then nodded, looking ahead when the light turned green.

"That's good, I'm glad." Edd tilted his head curiously when Kevin said that and the cop held his breath. What if his concern wasn't appreciated? He never thought of that. Six years ago Edd had been perfectly clear that he didn't like it when people got too nosy about his business. And they weren't friends, they were merely coworkers now. But Kevin couldn't help but feel concern for the nerd, a problem that developed years ago that he wasn't able to change. After a moment, Edd smiled sweetly and nodded. Kevin smiled slightly in return.

* * *

Moments later, Kevin pushed the break room door open and let Edd in after him before letting the door shut on its own behind them. He walked further into the empty room and placed the boxes he held on the center table and motioned for Edd to do the same before opening the lids. The scent of highly processed sugar hit him immediately and he felt his mouth salivate but denied himself one of the treats. He didn't get his smokin' hot bod from eating donuts that's for sure. Chuckling lightly to himself he glanced at Edd who was eyeing him curiously, a tiny smile still on his lips.

"Uh…" Kevin found himself at a loss for words. The man's blue eyes were sparkling in the florescent lighting and his lips, slightly parted, were pink and moist. Green eyes widened slightly and he turned away from the scientist as he crammed his hands into his jacket just in case they refused to listen to his order of 'Don't Touch!'

Gritting his teeth, Kevin mentally kicked himself. How was it that the second this _not_ adorkable man came back into his life he started acting like a horny teenager? It's been literally one fucking day! Despite all the 'what happens, happens' crap he had decided on, this whole situation was fucking with his head and he needed to stay focused right now. He had a murderer on the loose that needed to be behind bars soon so Kevin couldn't afford to get sidetracked by those big, beautiful, blue eyes that were staring straight at him. Coughing lightly, Kevin began to leave the room.

"Uh, so um…" _Smooth Kevin, real smooth_. "I better get going now…" Green eyes glanced out of the corner of his eyes at Double D's look of concern as the man nodded his in response. Kevin returned the nod then left the room, heading straight for his desk where Nat sat smirking with his boots up on the desk and his arms folded behind his head.

"So, how's the cutie doing? You guys do anything _fun_ last night?" Teal eyebrows wiggled suggestively as Kevin sat across from him and the gold-eyed detective leaned forward on his desk. Kevin glared half-heartedly at Nat when he asked about Double D but refused to respond to the teasing. He was having a hard enough time with his own useless brain and feelings, he wasn't all that sure he wanted Nat in his head yet…or ever. So he kept his comments to himself and resolved to get this case closed as quickly as possible.

"Why don't we just focus on the case alright? I'm not in the mood for any of that bullshit right now." Kevin mumbled as he pulled out the case file and read through it once more. Nat sat back, a pout on his face. He flicked a paper clip at the other man and narrowed gold eyes.

"What crawled up your ass and died? I figured you'd be over the moon from getting to see your dork this morning?" Kevin rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, bring the folder with him. He read through the confession they received and turned to another page before answering.

"He's not _my_ dork. He's just a…lab rat," Kevin ended in a mumble, as if he didn't really believe that all Edd was to him was a nerdy guy he happened to be working with. Nat stared at Kevin for several long moments until Kevin had enough and snapped at him.

"What?" He ground out harshly, eyes set in a stony glare as his partner stared with unmasked thoughtfulness.

"How long has it been since you last got some sugar my sexually frustrated bestie?" Nat smirked as he leaned forward more, practically laying on top of his desk. Kevin nearly dropped the file as he shot forward fast and leaned in close to Nat. A low growl rumbled from his throat as he reached forward and grabbed the front of the teal-haired man's black suit jacket.

"Would you fucking drop it man? Seriously, I don't want to discuss this right this very second!" Kevin seethed quietly as his glare became deadly. Emerald eyes could see Edd as he made his way through the crowd of people and past their desk before entering the lab. The last thing he wanted was Double D to overhear stupid Nat discussing his non-existent love life and the fact that Edd may or may not have appeared in his _way_ less than appropriate dreams last night.

Gold eyes sparkled with laughter as the amused detective chewed his lip slightly to try and keep quiet. He knew Kevin was frustrated and hadn't been laid in a while but this reaction was priceless. He wanted to goad him further, see how far he could take this before the man decided to shoot him. However, after seeing the uncertainty that flashed through his partners' bright green hues, Nat decided to have mercy on the poor guy.

"Man, look, we can talk about it later alright? Let's just get this shit done first." Kevin snapped as he sat back and checked his watch. Nat smoothed his hands down his jacket, trying to get the wrinkles out of it. So much for ironing the damn thing this morning.

"Yeah alright, but I will remember this." Nat commented as they both stood up and headed to the meeting room behind them for the morning's briefing with the Chief. Upon entering the crowded room, the two remained at the back of the room, going over different aspects of their current case.

"So, after this we'll head to Humphrey's place first. Hopefully, the guy'll be there and we can close this case by tonight." Nat summed up, flashing Kevin a wide smile and two thumbs up. The redhead rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Dammit Nat, every time you say shit like that something else always happens! When are you gonna learn to cut that shit out?" Kevin admonished as he leaned back against the wall and stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets for the third time that day as the Chief entered the room and headed to the front.

Chief Pierce was standing at the front of the room, face stoic. A well respected man amongst the force, Chief Donald Pierce liked to believe he ran his precinct well. They were never short staffed and were fairly well funded by the city. Their crime rate wasn't as low as it used to be but they were able to keep up with the increased workload and even have a special task force looking into the causes of the increase at City Hall. Moral was generally fairly good throughout and there were few incidents where his men were involved in scandals.

"First off, I just want to say that despite no one bothering to stop MacConnell trying to escape and being allowed to take a hostage, that our new forensic tech is doing well and hasn't quit on us. I expected better of all of you." His hard gaze swept over the people in the room, his disappointment clear in his eyes and on his face.

"Moving on, Mitchell, Holt, update." Kevin tuned out the detectives as they began their report, once more thinking about yesterday's incident. Now that it had been brought to his attention, why hadn't anyone else actually tried to stop MacConnell? Grinding his teeth together in frustration Kevin crossed his arms over his chest.

Maybe he should teach Double D some self-defense moves? Or force him to take the classes the precinct offered? It would definitely be a good idea since the man was prone to getting his ass handed to him, that hasn't seemed to have changed as they got older. The guy left himself too open, he was too oblivious to his surroundings. Chewing on his lip gently, he contemplated whether he should mention it to him later. He wanted to make sure the dork wasn't going to just freeze up like he did if something like that happened again in the future.

"Barr, Goldberg." Kevin snapped out of his thoughts at the deep voice saying his name and stood up straight on reflex.

"We were able to get a location and a name for the suspect yesterday from MacConnell and what was likely the murder weapon. We'll be heading to his apartment right after this." He informed as he looked directly at the Chief who nodded.

"And what of the other charges?"

"Frost is filing a separate case for yesterday's events." Nat supplied as he still leaned casually against the wall.

"Good, see to it that he contacts me directly." Both detectives nodded curtly before the Chief's attention moved to another detective pair. Moments later they were all dismissed. As they walked out of the room both men heard a snickering from behind them.

"I'm surprised the little nerd is still here. Who'd have thought he had the balls to come back after how pathetic he looked yesterday." Kevin stopped short and spun around with a glare he reserved from suspects, surprising the two detectives behind him. Nat stepped up behind him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, knowing how defensive Kevin has been recently.

"Watch it Holst," he growled out at the Narcotics detective who smirked at him after the surprise wore off.

"What's this? The hell you want Barr?"

"Don't be an ass Holst, the kid is a civilian, you can't expect him to know what to do in that situation." Nat said, voice hard, gold eyes narrowed on the men. The taller man 'tsked' and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said laughing at some unheard joke it seemed before he walked away, his partner following behind him not even bothering to try and hold back his snickers. Kevin growled as he watched them leave. Well, that settled it, he was definitely going to make Double D take some self-defense classes. He was tired of people picking on him because he looks, and unfortunately is, an easy target. Clenching his fists tightly at his sides Kevin turned slightly and looked through the windows to the dork's lab.

He was moving around the room placing labels on things as Martha worked on some evidence. The short woman was chuckling at something and Edd turned toward the woman with an amused smile, his attention temporarily taken from his task. Emerald eyes watched all this and felt his body relax at the sight of Double D seemingly in a comfortable place. He was safe there. Sighing lightly, he looked to the ground and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dude, you've got it so bad. Are you sure you didn't know you were into him?" Nat asked seriously as he came to stand in front of Kevin, also watching the two scientists interact. Glancing back into the room, Kevin shook his head and turned away. He didn't have time to analyze whether or not he was that far in denial. Granted, he'd never felt like this with anyone before, even Nazz when they were kids or even with… Kevin sighed no more thinking about this.

"Let's go Nat." He said, ignoring the man's question and heading for the door. Gold eyes followed after him for a moment before he shook his head at the confusion of his partner and followed him out.

* * *

Standing in front of a dirty white door in the hall of their suspect, Terry Humphrey's, apartment Kevin and Nat looked at each other. The hallway smelled musty and the tile floor that probably used to be white was now a gross brownish color. A light at the end of the slightly dark hall flickered obnoxiously as it gave off that high pitched whine of an old florescent light. Checking to make sure they had the right apartment number, Kevin gave the go ahead and Nat knocked on the door.

"Terry Humphrey, PCPD, open up. We have a few questions for you." He spoke loudly through the door. The two waited in silence for a moment but when no sounds came back through, Nat tried again. They knew there was no other way out of the building, unless the guy jumped out of his windows, but in this neighborhood, most people had bars on the outside of them to keep unwanted people out. They heard a faint click from down the hall, leading out to the main hall of the small apartment complex and an older woman peeked out at them.

Her pink floral nightgown swished around her as she kept the door open a crack and motioned for the two to come over. Her chocolate skin looked a bit ashen and her black eyes hazy with sleep and a wary look settled in her them once the two detectives stopped a few feet in front of her. She reached a shaky hand up to straighten the shower cap on her head before pulling her faded and ragged blue robe shut.

"That man ain't there no more." She said softly to the two, apprehension radiating off her. Kevin nodded and slowly pulled his badge out to show her, as did Nat.

"Good morning ma'am. I'm Detective Barr, this is Detective Goldberg, we're with the PCPD. Can we ask you a few questions about your neighbor?" He spoke soothingly, hoping to alleviate whatever fears she had about them being there. She eyed them cautiously before looking at both of their badges and nodded curtly, but didn't budge from her position.

"Thank you," Nat spoke before taking out his notepad, "We won't take up much of your time. When was the last time you saw Mr. Humphrey?" He questioned, removing a pen from his inside jacket pocket and uncapping it.

"It might've been yesterday." She shrugged casually as she huffed slightly. "He was makin' all kinds a racket over there. Came out about two in the afternoon to tell him to shut the hell up but he was leavin' with a big bag. Didn't say nuthin' to me." Kevin nodded, jotting down his own notes before he asked a question of his own.

"Do you know where he may have gone?" She shook her head then looked back into her apartment as a loud whistle sounded.

"No, but he's always got some girl stopping by. A really bitch. Tall, blonde, fake boobs, the works. Name's Cynthia Haggerty I think, only met her once. That's all I know." She moved to shut the door but Kevin held out his hand before she could. She glared at him as he pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to her.

"If you think of anything else, or he comes back, please give us a call. Thank you for your time ma'am." The two detectives smiled politely at her as she nodded, taking the card before shutting the door. Nat groaned as they began to leave the building. Once outside, Kevin glared at him.

"See? If you hadn't said that crap earlier, he probably would'a been here." He said as he pulled on a pair of sunglasses and looked around them. Trash littered the streets, graffiti was everywhere and very few souls were wandering around the area. It was quiet but this part of town didn't usually liven up until dark anyway. Nat clicked his tongue and pushed a pair of expensive Ray Burn sunglasses up his nose.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe I wanted more work?" he retorted as they walked to the car. They needed to head back to the station to try and find this Cynthia woman. Kevin snorted unlocking the car and getting in the drivers' seat just as Nat slid into the passenger side.

"Dude, we both know that's not true." He laughed, ignoring the pout Nat threw his way and headed back to the precinct.

The precinct was busy now that it was mid-morning and the two had to weave through the throng of people that took up the space to get to their desks. The noise levels had risen enough to almost irritate the redhead but he did his best to ignore it and sat down at his desk heavily. He booted up his computer and shuffled some papers around to clear some space on his desk. It wasn't messy per say, but it was a bit disorganized. Much cleaner than Nat's desk though that's for sure.

"I'm gonna go see if there's any food in the breakroom, since _someone_ didn't bring me anything this morning." The teal-haired man griped as he threw his jacket onto the back of his desk chair and headed for the breakroom. Kevin snickered as he leaned back in his chair just as the logo screen came up on his monitor. Movement to the left of him caught his attention and he glanced through the windows to see Double D working intently on something in the lab. He was wearing safety glasses and blue gloves with his tongue barely poking out from between his lips as he poured something into a small vial.

A small smile settled on his own lips as he watched the dork work. Just watching him seemed to put Kevin at ease as he relaxed in his chair. The noise that filled the precinct fell away to a soft drone in the back of his mind. Double D looked so graceful, so genuine. Why was everything so confusing now? Kevin truly didn't understand why he was having such a hard time with his emotions. If it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have questioned his feelings. He would have done what he does with practically everything else and gone with his gut feelings, charged in 'head' first, tapped it and maybe left, maybe not.

What made Double D so special?

* * *

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this to you. I unfortunately had a bunch of things happen one right after the other that really took a toll on me physically, emotionally, and mentally. I was also having the _hardest_ time with this chapter. I have literally been adding more toward the later middle/end of this thing but couldn't get myself to get past this.

But while I was writing this I was thinking that it might be good to have a beta reader, if anyone is interested please PM me and let me know. I could really use one right about now, especially to help me stay on task with this story.

Don't give up on it just yet! I will finish it! I have soo much written for it already that I don't think I can let this one go without completing it.

Anyway – chapter 7 should hopefully being coming soon-ish. I'm also probably going to start making each chapter longer unless you guys are okay with the length they are.

Thanks for reading and sticking with it this far! Again if you see something that's weird please let me know!

ReinaKage


	7. WelcomED

**Justice is ServED**

 _WelcomED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

* * *

Blue eyes stared up at the pristine white ceiling. Edd has been awake for several hours now, just lying in bed going over the events of the day before in his mind over and over again. It was definitely not something he ever expected to happen but out of everything that went down, the most surprising to him was still seeing Kevin and the emotions that reignited after being buried for years.

Edd had thought that Kevin was gorgeous six years ago, but now, Kevin was breathtaking. He was taller now and his shoulders broader than they were back then but his body was still lean and covered in hard muscle. Edd wasn't one for being superficial or shallow, he didn't base his desires on looks but he couldn't deny the affect the man's appearance had on his own body. Those gorgeous emerald eyes that sparkled when he smiled and darkened when he was passionate about something.

Groaning lightly the nerd turned onto his side and buried his face in his hands. Thinking about the way the man felt pressed against him the day before was not a good idea as Edd felt his pajama pants tighten. He had tried to avoid thinking about that all night, for this exact reason. He couldn't help it though. The man had smelled so good and held onto him so tightly that it ignited the fuel for his imagination to run wild with fantasies he knew would never happen. And Edd knew better than to get his hopes up that something ever would. Kevin helping him to the car and into the hospital were just one time deals, Edd would probably never get another chance to so much as touch the man again.

That last thought was enough to fix Edd's growing problem and he sighed before sitting up in his bed. His alarm clock hadn't rang yet but he may as well get up and get ready. He wouldn't want Kevin to be late today since he was waiting on him. So, after giving his cactus 'Jim' a slight smile, he got out of bed and quickly made it before making his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Melancholic blue eyes gazed back at him as he unwrapped the bandages around his neck. Once they were removed and he was able to properly look at the injuries again he winced at the sight of the deep purple bruising interrupted only by thin cuts in his flesh. He sighed then began to gently clean and re-bandage the wounds, luckily the gauze covered the bruising so no one else would have the misfortune of having to see it. Once that task was done he went about his normal morning routine before making his way back into his bedroom and checking the clock.

 _6:45 am_

Nodding to himself he quickly changed into a clean and crisp pair of jeans and a white button-up shirt under a dark blue sweater vest, like yesterday's outfit except today he decided to add a black tie to complete his outfit. Checking his reflection in the mirror and making sure his beanie was in place and the bandages still looked okay he gave himself a nervous smile.

 _Today will be better. I will make today better._ Standing up straight with determination, Edd left the room to try and eat something before he was to go meet Kevin. Grabbing a strawberry yogurt from the fridge and a spoon he began to eat it slowly as he walked around the kitchen. He was nervous about seeing Kevin again. How would the man be today? Was the nice Kevin just a one-time deal as well? Would they be back to being indifferent to each other after their drive to work?

Edd wasn't all that sure what he wanted to happen between Kevin and him but he knew anything other than friendship was wishful thinking and that was something he refused to allow himself to do. Even just being friends with the man was something Edd was loathed to think about because if it turned out that Kevin wanted nothing to do with him again, the scientist wasn't sure his heart could take that kind of pain. Shaking his head lightly he looked out the window in the living room across the street to see Kevin standing against his car.

Blue eyes checked his watch to make sure he wasn't late and when he saw the little seven followed by two zeros on the screen he gazed at the man curiously. Kevin was not really one for being early for anything and from what Edd could remember the man was not a morning person so why was he waiting for Edd so early? Well, whatever his reasons, Edd was more than content to watch him for the time being but he was so still. The longer he stood and watched Kevin just stare at the ground, unmoving, the more concerned he got about the detective's well-being.

Was he okay?

* * *

Once they made it to the precinct, Edd followed Kevin into the building carrying two of the four boxes. They were stopped by Bridget at the front desk who asked about Edd's health, then by a couple of the security team at the scanners, but as they walked through the main lobby to the breakroom with the donuts, no one paid them any mind. Edd was grateful for that. It was nice that people cared about his health but he just wanted to work, he wasn't in a place right now to make friends…or enemies should that be the case.

Edd was no idiot, he knew that his personality, quirks, and looks made it easy for people to be mean to him. For practically his entire life he's felt as though he had a flashing neon sign above his head that said 'kick me!' or something equally rude. He was raised to be caring, gentle…complacent. He didn't hate who he was or what he was like though. Few people were like him these days but that left him open to ridicule constantly, even now as an adult. One would think that maturity came with age but sadly this is not the case.

Following Kevin into the break room, Edd followed Kevin in setting the boxes on the table and opening the lids when he heard the man chuckle softly. Edd turned a small smile to the man, curious about what he found amusing only to see him freeze with eyes wide. The nerds' curiosity increased at the others' reaction to him. When Kevin turned away from him and stuttered out about leaving, Edd felt his concern from earlier that morning return full force. He nodded slowly in response and worried blue eyes watched as Kevin practically sprinted out of the break room.

Had Edd done something he shouldn't have? Curious and worried, Edd shuffled through his memories of the past day and a half but nothing struck him as overly odd. He never mentioned what happened six years ago, he didn't awkwardly touch the detective; he has been completely in control of his emotions when around the man so what?

Several officers then walked into the breakroom and headed straight for the donuts. Edd smiled politely, stepping back to give the group room. Sounds of laughter filled the room but Edd wasn't paying any mind to the noise. His mind preoccupied he slowly eased passed the larger group of law enforcement officers and exited the room. Standing off to the side of the entrance to the gorgeous main lobby, Edd allowed his eyes to sweep over the people crowding the station.

It was still early so the lobby was fairly quiet as officers, civilians, detectives, and others went about their mornings. Criminals being brought in and processed, suspects being taken into interrogation rooms, detectives huddling over their desks together or on their own waiting for their partners. Edd smiled gently, he was happy to be here, despite what happened the day before. He had a really good feeling about working here, and he was determined to do his best and with that thought he made his way over to his lab.

 _His_ lab. He still couldn't believe that he would have his own work space. The lab he interned at had multiple people in it at all times and was stuffy, but Pine Brook had been a busy precinct, so it shouldn't have surprised the quiet scientist. And it wasn't like it was just his lab anyway. They had day, swing, and night shift crews so others would be there too just not all at once. Martha was day shift, and Edd was quite happy that he would get the same schedule. He found it hard to work swing and nights, so this job was perfect for him.

This was something he'd been concerned about when interviewing with Martha after finding out about the shift schedules. He didn't want anyone thinking he was getting special treatment, but the pregnant woman had reassured him. Apparently, the other four techs had set times they preferred working and that was what made their team so efficient. They would trade-off on weekends and certain holidays, otherwise everyone was happy with the way things were.

Upon entering the lab, Martha spun toward him with a wide, happy smile, and an enthusiastic greeting. Edd smiled back in response and grabbed the lab coat hanging on a hook near the door, one with his name embroidered on the left-breast pocket. Smiling at his name, he swiftly put the coat on and felt relief spread through him. Wearing a lab coat was comforting for him, and he knew this job was going to be worth whatever trials he would come across.

* * *

The rest of Edd's training week with Martha went by smoothly and for that he was grateful. Despite not being able to talk for most of his training, he and Martha got on quite well. She was very knowledgeable and didn't treat Edd like he was a burden to her. Unlike his mentor at the Pine Brook Crime Lab. Just because he was young, didn't mean he didn't know hundreds of different compounds by memory, or that he didn't know the subtle differences in some poisons.

But that was then. Now he was working DNA instead of Trace and he couldn't have been happier. He was hardly ever allowed to touch the DNA samples before but he was able to show Martha that he was not only confident in his ability to do it right, but to also do it efficiently. The past week was actually _fun_ for Edd and he would miss Martha now that she was leaving.

Smiling sadly at the file in his hand, Edd relished the relative silence of his lab. He was the only one in here and he found himself enjoying it a lot. Peach Creek was a lot smaller than where he was before and had less crime but whatever the reason, Edd liked it. He could hear the soft whirring of one of the machines and the computer beeping every so often as it cycled through fingerprints in the database trying to find a match. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that because the forensics department wasn't as busy that he was in charge of not just DNA and Toxicology but fingerprint analysis as well.

Shaking his head to clear it, he began to read through the file on Kevin's current case. He heard through precinct gossip that Terry Humphrey had been found dead in his apartment yesterday evening after someone called in with a tip. Now they were looking for the person who'd taken out Humphrey. Edd didn't know the specifics of the case, just what he overheard or read in the files.

Glancing around the room as he turned around he stopped when his eyes locked on Kevin through the windows. He was sitting with a tall teal-haired man that Edd guessed was the red-head's partner. The two seemed to be in the middle of a serious discussion as they went over papers in front of them before he saw Kevin glare at the other man and push him back. Edd loved watching Kevin be playful again. It was nice to see his former bully not taking himself too seriously anymore.

Thinking back on their senior year, Edd remembered watching Kevin from afar. After the teen was awarded his full-ride scholarship for football, the teen had started taking his education seriously. Edd knew the teens' grades at the time weren't where they needed to be for the school Kevin was going to but he was happy to see that that wasn't stopping the other from going. Edd recalled offering to help Kevin should he want it, but the redhead declined.

" _I need to do it on my own dork._ " Smiling slightly at the memory, Edd turned away from the windows. During the past few days, aside from when Kevin came to get him for work the day after the hostage incident, Edd hadn't spoken to the gorgeous man once. He'd heard around the office that Kevin and his partner Nathan were unfortunately doing nightly stakeouts to try and get Terry Humphrey, their newest suspect in their murder case.

Edd tried not to feel upset but he had to admit that he was feeling a bit lonely and that threw him for a loop. He had only seen Kevin a couple of times since being back in Peach Creek and they weren't even friends so why did he miss the man so much? He reasoned it might have just been because he was a familiar face and he was just being nostalgic, but he also blamed his resurfacing crush. The more he thought about it, the less he could deny it. His feelings were coming back and he couldn't find the will to stop them from doing so.

He leaned back slightly on the one of the tables in the middle of the room shaking his head sadly. If this continued, the scientist knew things would go horribly wrong. He needed to do something but was at a loss of what that something could possibly be. So stuck in his musings, Edd didn't notice the door to his lab opening until a cheery voice rang through the room startling the poor man.

"Howdy there Edd!" Presley sauntered further into the room stopping a few feet away from him, her white lab coat swishing around her slightly. She wore a blue plaid button-up shirt underneath the coat and tucked into her boot-cut blue jeans. A large bronze belt buckle sparkled in the white florescent lights and her black cowboy boots clacked softly against the floor. After calming his heart from surprise, Edd smiled politely at her beaming face and bright blue-green eyes shined with so much cheer one would think it was Christmas.

"Salutations Mrs. Jenkins, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He replied softly. His throat wasn't fully healed but he was able to talk now, thank goodness for that. The woman threw her head back and barked out a loud laugh as she punched his arm good-naturedly. Edd winced and rubbed his arm lightly, laughing nervously with her.

"Now, now Edd, ya don't need to be so formal with me! Just Presley is fine! Or Pres, or Lee, honestly I answer to all three, sometimes even 'hey you' so you don't gotta think too hard on it." Edd nodded chuckling softly at her as his hands found their place in his lab coat pockets before he waited for the woman to state why she was there. After casually tossing her long brown braid back over her shoulder and out of the way, she put her hands on her hips and gave him a slight smirk.

"So, how ya doin? Settlin' in alright?"

"Oh, yes, I most certainly am. It is a very nice change from my previous place of work." Edd smiled happily, glad that this woman was so personable. It has been a long time since someone spoke with him just to see how he was doing and he found that he'd missed this sort of interaction. His previous lab had most definitely not been as friendly with him as the people were here.

"That's good to hear Bud! Mind if I call you Bud?" A soft chuckle escaped his lips and he shook his head no, in all honesty, the way she spoke was really growing on him. There was something to be said about that southern dialect that, despite the obvious grammar issues, was pleasing to the ear. Maybe it was her charming smile that swayed him but he couldn't deny that he liked her voice. Not in a romantic sense, it was just aesthetically pleasing to him.

"Great! Alrighty Bud, come with me," she said turning on her heel and walking out of the door with Edd following more out of curiosity than anything else. Jogging a couple steps to walk next to her, he heard that she had started talking.

"So, I hear you and Detective Barr go way back, that true?" she asked eyeing him out of the corner of her eye as they turned right to head to the main room of the station. This was the first time anyone has mentioned Kevin to him since the incident on his first day. Curious about why she was bringing Kevin up, Edd nodded cautiously before he answered.

"It is. Kevin and I lived in the same cul-de-sac when we were children, up until after high school." The woman nodded as if what he'd said was something interesting, piquing Edd's curiosity more.

"Ah, I see. So that would explain his protectiveness over you." Edd stopped walking, confusion settling on his face. The way she had said that was so offhanded. Since when has Kevin been protective of him? Presley stopped a few feet ahead of him and gazed at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Um, Presley, may I ask why you mentioned that? I am rather confused," he spoke tilting his head slightly when the woman walked back to him, fiddling with her braid that had somehow managed to find its way over her shoulder once more.

"Hmm? Why I said it? Oh, well, after the morning heads-up meetin' with the Chief on Wednesday, one of the Narcotics guys said somethin' 'bout you, not sure what but that was the first time I'd ever heard Barr snap another detective like he did." She explained before walking again and pulling Edd along by one of his coat sleeves.

Unfortunately, her explanation only confused him more. Just because they lived near each other for so long, Kevin and Edd weren't friends when they were younger, and after they got into high school they barely even saw each other let alone spoke. To Edd, there was no reason for Kevin to show any degree of protectiveness but he didn't know what Kevin had been doing the last six years. Maybe something happened? Edd shook his head gently, trying to erase any thoughts about the redhead. He shouldn't speculate on the man's life and instead tuned into Presley as she continued to speak.

"Yeah, ya know, I heard from a friend a his. A cute little blonde thing, what was her name? N-somethin," she said a small finger raising to her chin as he brow furrowed as she thought. Could she be talking about Nazz? He voiced his thought and she shouted in joy.

"Yeah! Nazz! Spoke to her briefly once a long time ago. Mentioned that Barr has changed somewhat from when they were young-uns. Not sure why but she mentioned it to me but that's what she said. Maybe that's why you're confuzzled? Anywho, why don't you walk on in there for me."

Edd was wide-eyed at the speed and amount that Presley spoke, trying to understand her and take it all in before he was pushed through the break room door. Blue eyes moved around the room, wide, as he took in all the people that crowded into the space. Martha stood grinning at him in the middle of the room.

A small banner with 'Welcome to the Team!' hung above her. Sheridan was to Martha's left and Lillian had her back to the surprised man on Martha's right. Kevin stood off to the side with a tall teal-haired man who was staring at him with a smirk and sharp golden eyes. The redhead was slightly turned away from Edd but he looked over and gave Edd a small but friendly smile as he spoke with the man.

Others were there as well but Edd had yet to meet them. Several blue uniformed officers, a few detectives he hadn't met yet and a happy Bridget from the front desk bounced happily over to him and threw her arms around him in a quick, tight hug.

"Welcome to your new home Edd!" she chirped before letting him go and walking to a lightly scowling officer on the other side of the room. Presley laughed at Edd, frozen to the spot. This was a bit overwhelming for him and he bit his lip lightly and blinked rapidly a few times to keep himself from crying. Everyone here seemed to genuinely want him there and they threw him a welcome party? Smiling shyly at everyone he said a soft but heartfelt thank you.

The Texan gently pushed him further into the room and Sheridan handed him a water for which he was grateful for. Lilian came over and nodded and gave him a slight smirk as she handed him a delicious-looking brownie covered in chocolate-coated candies.

"Enjoy, I promise I didn't put anything in it." Grey eyes held mischief and Edd swallowed a lump that formed in his throat before he nodded curtly as the blonde woman walked away snickering. Edd looked at the brownie in his hand, debating on whether or not he should even try it but was saved from making a decision.

"It's alright, she didn't do anything to it. Lil makes the absolute best brownies but she also likes to pick on people so don't let her know she gets to you." A deep voice said from behind him. Edd turned slowly and had to look up at the very tall man, broad-shouldered man. Amused hazel eyes watched him with curiosity before he stuck his hand out to shake one of Edd's hands. The scientist nearly dropped his water, forgetting it was in his other hand but the man caught it and laughed at the flustered tech.

"Woah there, no need to throw it at me." He laughed good-naturedly as he placed the water bottle on a nearby table and tried again. This time Edd shook his hand without problems and the man introduced himself.

"I'm Axel, Axel Whitaker. I work in the garage on the vehicles brought in for processing and sometimes the department vehicles. It's nice to meet you, Edd right?"

"Oh, yes! It's a pleasure to meet you." The shorter of the two blushed lightly at the handsome man. He was nicely built and had messy black hair that seem to shine in the light. The man was positively charming with his big smile and dimples and sparkling hazel eyes. There was no doubt about it, this guy was gorgeous, but he was no Kevin. Blue eyes widened at his thought and he looked away. Where had that thought come from?

Suddenly, his eyes were drawn to a short woman who poked her head around the well-built torso and eyed Edd with blank light blue eyes.

She too had short black hair styled in an inverted bob with bright blue peeking out underneath. A sparkling near her nose drew Edd's attention next and he noticed the small stud in her nose before seeing the small, nearly hidden black bar sticking out of her eyebrow and he caught a glimpse of several piercings in one of her ears before she moved around the hulking man, eyes still blank. She wore a similar white lab coat buttoned over all black attire and Edd had a feeling he knew who she was. Neither spoke and Edd found himself fidgeting nervously from one foot to the other and glancing at the man smiling tenderly down at the woman.

"This is Melanie, my girlfriend, she's the day shift Medical Examiner." Axel said as she gracefully lifted her hand for Edd to shake.

"U-Um, it's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Melanie," Edd muttered anxiously as her expression didn't change. A soft chuckle above him sounded and he looked up at Axel questioningly.

"She's shy, well see you around! Welcome to the team," was all he said before he excused them both and walked away with his arm around her shoulders. The scientist stood where he was, not too sure about what just happened as he watched the odd couple leave the room.

"I see you met Mel, yeah ain't she a treat!" Presley laughed slapping the beanie-clad man on the back playfully, jarring him from his thoughts and nearly making him drop his brownie. A nervous laugh escaped his lips and Edd turned to the slightly obnoxious woman.

"Aw, don't get all flustered Bud, she's like that with everyone at first. Let her get used to ya. Since you got to meet everyone now let me just say somethin'," she said amused before her expression shifted to a serious one that startled Edd slightly and she spoke low and slow.

"Edd, us techs are a family, alright? You mess with one of us you get all of us. So, if anyone is messin' with ya, or you feel uncomfortable around any of the others, you let me or Axel know. Some of the guys here think that just cuz we're not out in the field savin' lives that we don't do shit in here but that ain't true! Don't let any of them tell ya any different, alright? You're one of us now, and we take care of our own." Presley finished with a small, encouraging smile and a firm squeeze of his shoulder.

Edd felt touched that they considered him one of them and he smiled happily at the woman. So far no one has been mean to him but he can see why she might feel the need to warn him. He knows he tends to give off a 'helpless nerd' vibe, he's been aware of this for years. Some people don't ever grow out of their childishness and Edd knew this too. He nodded in understanding and was about to thank her for her concern when a big smile spread across her face.

"Now, how's about I teach you how to handle a gun, yeah? You'd like that wouldn't ya?" Edd paled and this time did drop his brownie in shock. He began to stutter incoherently, not even noticing a large hand catching his dessert until another voice interrupted his scattered thoughts.

"Pres, you aren't goin' anywhere near Double D with a weapon, you hear me?" chuckled Kevin, but Edd could hear the small hint of seriousness in his voice as his brownie was handed back to him. Slightly shaky hands took it back and he gazed up slightly at Kevin's bright emerald eyes as they narrowed slightly at the now pouting weapons expert. Her hands on her hips and a glare turned on Kevin, Presley opened her mouth to retort before the tall man that Edd had seen earlier with Kevin came over and draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Can you really blame him Pres? The last poor soul you tried to teach nearly shot the Chief and we all know how that ended," the man's tone was slightly flirty as he wiggled his eyebrows at Edd before hissing in pain and grabbing his arm.

"Now you listen here Goldberg! You stay away from Edd, ya hear! We all know what you're like and I swear if you harass my bud I'mma kick your ass into next week!" she growled out shaking a finger threateningly at the man as he rubbed the arm she had punched.

"Seriously?! What the hell! Why does everyone think I'm going to hit on the cutie!" Nat pouted settling puppy dog eyes on Edd who merely blushed lightly and looked away. Kevin laughed at the loud chorus in the room that shouted several things but the gist of it that Edd got was that the man was a massive flirt, regardless of gender. Presley shook her head, a small smile gracing her face before she turned to Kevin and her face was serious once more.

"That Jungle Master huntin' knife you got from the suspects place was a match to the wound by the way, it's definitely the weapon Humphrey used on your vic, Dunhill. Now, I gotta get back and test out a couple guns so see who murdered your suspect, later." After giving Edd a quick hug and welcoming him to the family she left the room, leaving Edd with Kevin and a still pouting Nat. Blue eyes glanced up at Kevin, then his brownie and he decided that he would eat it now. Taking a bite, he almost groaned in satisfaction at the way it melted in his mouth and the delicious taste. Axel wasn't lying when he said these were amazing brownies, he'd have to thank Lilian for making them.

"Not to scare you Double D, but she's right. You feel uncomfortable around anyone or they do or say anything, you tell me or Nat too." Edd's eyes snapped up sharply to Kevin's serious look and his heart began to race. Why would Kevin say that? Was Presley right, has Kevin really changed that much? Changed enough for him to feel protective of Edd? This was so confusing for him but he couldn't bring himself to ask and instead chuckled lightly.

"I appreciate your concern Kevin, but I am capable of taking care of myself. I am an adult too if you must know." The shy smile he gave to Kevin didn't seem to alleviate whatever doubt Kevin was feeling as the man frowned slightly.

"Well, unless you have a black belt in some martial art like Sheridan, I'm gonna worry alright?" the man said turning away slightly, refusing to look at the scientist's wide eyes and open mouth. Edd has only been at this precinct for a less than a week and the number of times he's been shocked, surprised or confused since was probably more than he'd felt in his whole life. That may be an exaggeration but still! Nothing was making sense for the man at the moment and he wanted to ask, to question Kevin on why he was being like this but he couldn't, wouldn't, didn't want to lose it, if he did ask. He'd never really had anyone who said that they'd stand up for him like this. It was…kind of nice.

"Anyway," Kevin coughed lightly as he glared at a smirking Nat, "This is Nat, my partner -,"

"His partner in crime, Double Cutie and may I just say that you are positively yummy ow!" Edd giggled softly when Kevin had growled and punched Nat in the same arm Presley had. "Damn it! Now I'm gonna have a bruise! Why do you people keep hitting me!" he whined sticking out his uninjured right arm with an open hand which Edd shook lightly before pulling back.

"A pleasure to meet you Detective." Kevin rolled his eyes at the scientists' politeness and nudged the man slowly out of the room.

"You got our results yet?" He asked as they began walking to the lab after Edd thanked everyone for the party, waving at Martha as she rested in a chair, speaking with some of the other women of the precinct, he would see her again before she left. Nat followed sulkily grumbling about the unfairness of life.

"Possibly. I was just waiting on a few tests to finish before Presley came to retrieve me for the lovely party. I must say I was quite surprised by it." Edd's hands settled comfortably in his lab coat pockets as they walked slowly through the chaotic main room to his relatively quiet lab. He saw Kevin nod and rub his neck with a light blush on his face but what that meant, Edd didn't know.

Pushing the door open he was happy to hear silence because that meant all his tests were done. He went to the left and removed two sheets of paper from two different machines before going to the computer in the corner and clicking a couple buttons before another two sheets printed out. He moved over to where Kevin and a bouncing, grinning Nat had appeared next to him. He laid the sheets of paper on the table facing them after looking at the results and pointing to the sheet with a face and fingerprint.

"The fingerprints found on the knife are a match to Terry Humphrey and I was able to find a partial that matches that of Sam Dunhill." He stated before his fingers hovered over the sheet next to the fingerprint analysis, "The majority of the blood found on the knife is also Mr. Dunhill's but there appears to be traces of another's DNA. I'll run it through the system and see if I am able to obtain a match for you." Edd looked up at Kevin and Nat when a sigh and loud groan reached his ears. Both men looked annoyed at his findings.

"Man! Why do we always get these assholes! Kev! I don't wan' another body!" Nat whined throwing his hands up in the air and Edd couldn't help the giggle that passed his lips.

"Now, Detective Nathan, that doesn't necessarily mean there's another body. I read Miss. Melanie's autopsy report she said he had a cut on his hand. It's possible that it is his own blood. Perhaps Mr. Dunhill attempted to defend himself?" Kevin nodded as he thought over what Double D said.

"Mel did say that there were some defensive wounds on Dunhill's hands, it's possible he was able to grab the knife or at least deflect it and Humphrey's could've cut his own hand trying to get control of it again." Nat glanced between the two men. A sly smile appeared on his face and he leaned forward on the table. Edd noticed the hard glare Kevin directed at the man but was unsure of the cause.

"Hmm, I see. Well, don't you two just work so well together," Nat snickered earning a growl from Kevin. Looking between the two detectives, Edd was lost on what was happening so he decided to remain silent. The redhead's fists clenched tightly as his frown deepened while Nat's smirk merely grew and amusement filled his gold eyes. Edd could feel the air around him prickle slightly with the tension radiating from Kevin and couldn't help the giggle that left his lips.

Gasping softly and covering his lips with his hands when Kevin's hard emerald glare snapped to him, Edd tried to contain his amusement. Kevin sighed loudly and relaxed his body as he pushed Nat away slightly. Edd smiled cutely at the two and the redhead blushed lightly.

"Uh, right," he coughed then pushed Nat harder when he snickered.

"Well, thanks Double D. Let us know when you get the results.," He called, dragging a highly amused Nat out of the lab with him.

* * *

"What the fuck Nat?" Kevin grumbled and glared at his partner. He sat heavily in his chair when they made it back to their desks and Nat just laughed as he settled across from Kevin.

"What? I did nothing wrong." Kevin stared deadpanned at Nat's attempt to be innocent. The teal-haired man just chuckled and sat back in his chair. "Okay fine. I'm sorry but I couldn't help it. You guys were just too cute bouncing ideas off of each other," Nat wiggled his eyebrows before continuing, "I can only imagine how _cute_ he'll be bouncing on top of y-ow!"

Kevin smirked as he turned to his monitor, his stapler now missing from his desk. He elected to ignore what Nat tried to (or did) imply and continue attempting to find out where Humphrey's girlfriend Cynthia Haggerty was hiding. Nat griped about flying staplers and payback while rubbing his chest where he'd been hit.

"You know, you could've killed me Kevin. That was right over my heart!" He whined, dramatically falling back in his chair, hand over his forehead. Kevin rolled his eyes and hummed in agreement.

"Probably should have with how much of a bitch you're being about this," he mumbled as he typed in his login information. Nat mimicked Kevin's eye roll and sat back up.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, so here's what we've got: Humphrey leaves his apartment with a big bag Tuesday, goes back to his apartment Thursday, ends up dead somehow on Friday when that lady from down the hall calls us. Cynthia isn't hanging out at any of the spots her friends and family said she frequents and hasn't been seen in several days, but is our only lead right now." Nat summed up as he flipped through pages in their case file. Kevin turned to him and nodded.

"Yeah, but I think I may have an idea of where she'll be." Nat rose a perfect teal eyebrow at his smirking partner. "She has a public Facebook page, and she just tagged herself at the salon for a 'pick-me-up haircut'." Nat chuckled as he stood with up and reached into his top desk drawer, pulling his gun and badge out.

"Well, then let's get to it." Kevin followed suit and the two left the precinct. The woman was only a few blocks away so they elected to walk.

"So, when _are_ you going to ask out Double Delectable hmm?" Nat asked hands resting behind his neck as they walked side by side down the sidewalk. Kevin glared lightly at Nat and sighed as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. The sun was out but there was a cool, gentle breeze that swept by the two. Kevin was stupid for continuously wearing his leather jacket in the summer every year but it was part of his image, he couldn't change it now.

"Nat -,"

"I know, I know, you don't wanna talk about it, blah, blah, blah, I don't give a rat's ass." Nat spoke seriously. Kevin knew better than to interrupt when Nat got serious, it didn't happen often but when it did it was worth taking note of.

"Look, I think you should talk to him. Maybe not about everything but I really think you should. It's been what four days and you're still not comfortable with me making jokes about you two in the sack? Come on Kevin who are you trying to kid?" Kevin rolled his eyes at the man's reasoning.

"Dude, four days is nothing -,"

"Yeah, but you never cared this much when I said the same things about the women you'd dated." Kevin frowned at that. He never thought about it like that. Any woman he dated, Nat always made awkward sex jokes and not once did they upset him like the one about Double D did.

"I just wanna make sure it's not because you hate the guy. I mean, you said you don't but you're refusing to talk to me about him, and I don't think I like that." Nat stopped, causing Kevin to stop and face him. The man was serious and Kevin couldn't deny what he'd done. Nat was his partner, his best friend, practically his brother, so why he couldn't talk about this with him? The redhead was at a loss for an answer and decided that he needed to clear the air.

"Nat, I just don't know what to, well, what to feel about any of this. My mind is telling me to ignore it, my heart wants answers, and my body…well…" Kevin coughed in embarrassment. Kevin knew exactly what his body wanted but with his mind so far in denial he knew he'd never act on it. At least not with Double D anytime so anyway. Calculating gold eyes just stared back at him, neither man moving.

"Listen to your heart, when he's calling for you," Nat spoke, eyes and face still locked in seriousness, but Kevin watched the man confused, "Listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do," Kevin narrowed his eyes at Nat, he saw the man's lips twitch. His eyes crinkled slightly in amusement before a huge smile broke out on his face and he sang loudly, and badly, "I don't know where you're going and I don't know why, listen to your heart, before you tell him goodbye! Listen to your heart!" [1]

Groaning, Kevin turned swiftly and quickly walked away, leaving a still obnoxiously singing Nat behind. He should've know the man could only stay serious for so long. Jamming his hands back into his jacket he glared at the ground as he walked quickly, ignoring Nat's laughter and pleas for him to slow down. He managed to walk a block before Nat caught up with him and he stopped and smiled slightly at the heavily breathing man leaning on him.

"D-dude, s-seriously," Nat breathed before he straightened up and smiled back at his partner.

"You're an ass, but thanks," Kevin said holding out his fist. Nat smirked and laughed, fist-bumping him in return before they both turned the corner and continued to the salon to question Cynthia. It wasn't long until they stood in front of the high-end salon. The view inside was blocked by huge block letters and fake plants from the inside. The two men looked at each other and Kevin nodded for Nat to take the lead. This was his territory, not Kevin's.

"Hello," drawled a flat feminine voice once they stepped into the odd smelling shop. Kevin sniffed quietly and tried not to gag at the overpowering and contradicting smells that assaulted his nose. The salon was a large open room filled with brilliant white light and obnoxious techno music. Several hairdressers' stations were lined up back to back up the center of the room and washing stations on the left hand side with drying stations on the right. There were several patrons dotted around the room but the one they were looking for wasn't in their direct line of sight.

"Can I help you?" A woman stepped in front of them, her long black hair, sleek and straight moved with her as she swayed slightly with the music. Her brown eyes stared judgingly at them as she popped her hip out and rested a perfectly manicured hand on her hip. Large, gold, hoop earrings swing from her ears and Kevin vaguely wondered if the weight hurt her ears.

"Yes ma'am, "Nat spoke up showing her his badge, Kevin doing the same, "We're looking for Cynthia Haggerty, is she here?" The woman lifted her nose at them.

"She's in the back, bikini wax." Kevin fidgeted slightly, he didn't really need to know that.

"Then we'll wait out here for her." Nat said cringing slightly. The woman nodded curtly then spun on her high heels and swayed toward the back of the shop. A few moments later she came back out and pointed a pink nail at the two men and curved her finger, telling them to go to her. Kevin was a bit miffed, he wasn't a dog, but whatever. They went to the back room and saw a tall, blonde woman sitting, fully clothed on a nice arm chair and staring at her phone with a bored expression. Nat coughed quietly to get her attention.

"What do you want?" she asked annoyed, not bothering to look up from her phone as she twirled a lock of blonde around her delicate finger. She smacked some gum between her teeth, blew a bubble, then continued chewing.

"We just have some questions for you Miss. Haggerty. And some bad news I'm afraid." Nat said using a deep voice. The woman stilled then looked up at the two. Her blue eyes widened at seeing the two detectives before she smiled cutely and pulled her slightly too small shirt lower, showing off her ample chest.

"Oh, well, she didn't tell me you two were so handsome," she cooed, gently running her finger down Kevin's arm and batting her bright blue eyes up at him. The color was similar to Double D's and Kevin wouldn't deny that her boobs were nice, but Kevin didn't like the sultry look in her eyes. She was jaded. Kevin preferred Edd's cute and innocent gaze. Clearing his throat lightly, Kevin took a step back from the woman. Well, if that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was. Mentally rolling his eyes, he nudged Nat.

"Your boyfriend is Terry Humphrey, correct?" The woman rolled her eyes and nodded.

"What's he done now?" She asked, not at all concerned about him.

"Well, he was wanted for murder, but it seems someone else wanted him dead." Nat said, he didn't much feel like being sympathetic about how he gave the news, it seemed to him that she didn't really care about him anyway.

"He's dead? Seriously? That explains why he hasn't returned my calls the asshole." She complained, looking at her phone with a forced smile and a giggle. Nat's eyes narrowed. His suspicions were correct. This woman didn't give two shits about the guy that was supposedly her boyfriend. Little warning bells went off in the back of his mind but he wasn't sure why. Something about her, aside from her lack of reaction, was tugging at him.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Kevin looked around the room as he listened. It was a simple waiting room with several plush armchairs and a table filled with a myriad of girly magazines. The walls were lined with pictures of different women, all of which Kevin couldn't find attractive. Rolling his eyes, he ignored that part of him and turned his full attention to Cynthia.

"I don't know last week or something?" Came a mumbled reply as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder. Nat was growing increasingly irritated with this woman but he still couldn't figure out why he felt like something was off. It wasn't how she ignored him for her phone, it wasn't the way she spoke. Gold eyes studied her intently. She was tense and the second he started asking questions she refused to make eye contact, using her phone as a shield. She knew something, but what?

"How was your relationship with him?" He asked off-handed, watching for her reaction. She stilled before she forced a bark of laughter through her glossy pink lips. Her wary blue eyes looked up over his shoulder, not directly at him.

"Our relationship was whatever. We did things but it's not like we were exclusive." She waved her hand around as if what she said was no big deal.

"Okay, then is there someone else you're not exclusive with that didn't like that little tidbit of info?" This time she glared up at him.

"Are you calling me a slut?" She exclaimed pushing from the chair to stand up, wobbling only slightly on her too-high heels. Her tight black skirt just barely covered her ass and her ample cleavage bounced when she put her hands on her hips.

"No ma'am, just curious about whether someone you know is jealous enough to kill for you," he smiled reassuringly but her reaction was amusing. She changed what he said and that was answer enough for Nat. There was someone she was with; someone she knew would have no qualms with killing for her but what reason would she have to have Humphrey murdered?

"W-well, there isn't! And I-I don't appreciate the insinuation that I c-cheated on Terry! So, if this is all, I'm going to go, you've taken enough of my time." She spat frustrated as she gathered her small purse and turned toward a door leading back to another room. Kevin stopped her gently and gave her a charming smile.

"Thank you for your time Miss. Haggerty, we're sorry for the trouble but we have to do our job. You understand right?" He handed her his card and told her to call if she remembered anything and the two left the building and headed back to the precinct.

"Augh! That woman, yuck!" Nat exclaimed as a full body shiver went through him. Kevin chuckled at his partner's overreaction.

"She wasn't all that bad."

"Are you kidding me! She was annoying! But she's also hiding something I can feel it." He stated. Kevin nodded in agreement but Nat noticed the smirk on his face and narrowed suspicious gold eyes on his partner.

"What do you know?" Kevin glanced at him with a raised brow then snickered.

"She was having a very interesting conversation with someone named 'Colty-poo'. I have a feeling we know this guy but we'll have to follow her to make sure." Nat laughed.

"If you're talking about Colt Gunner, then I'm sure he'd have issue with being known as 'Colty-poo'. I call dibs on calling him that first!" Nat chuckled. Kevin grinned in return and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few buttons and pulled up Cynthia's Facebook page.

"Well, looks like we'll have something to do tonight. She's tagged herself and several others for a party at The Warehouse." Nat grimaced and pretended to puke.

"That place is _so_ nasty! Kev, I don't wanna spend my Saturday night at _The Warehouse_!" he whined, clinging to Kevin's back all the way back to the station. Kevin didn't care and ignored the man hanging from his neck.

"Well, too bad." Nat groaned loudly but smiled back at his partner when he let go. Kevin seemed to be less tense now than he was before they left and Nat couldn't be happier. He may joke a lot and pick on his best friend, but he truly cares for Kevin, and would do anything to make him happy.

Gold eyes glanced over at the cutie scientist moving about the lab and he smiled slightly. He might not know this Double D very well, but the feeling he got when they spoke was nice. Nat was always one to go with his gut feelings. Kevin did the same but Nat trusted his gut more than the other man did. Looking down to see Kevin looking at him warily he laughed and sat down.

Double D would be good for Kevin. Nat could feel it.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter 7!

 _[1] - Lyrics from Listen to Your Heart by Roxette_

First off, I'd like to thank Grimmylover101 for offering to beta for me!

Next, this chapter was longer! A whole 14 and a tad pages in Word. I'm hoping to keep the future chapters about this long, I think I like it better this way.

I hope you liked this one and thank you all for reading and reviewing! Reviews do speed up the update process (wink, wink) because they give me the warm, fluffy feelings that I require to write this story!

Thanks again,

ReinaKage


	8. DecidED

**Justice is ServED**

 _DecidED_

Disclaimer: _I don't own EEnE, or the characters, nor do I claim ownership of Nat as he belongs to c2ndy2c1d. All I own is the plot._

* * *

Edd worked in relative peace for several hours after the small welcome party. A small smile still adorned his lips as he hummed quietly to himself as he shuffled busily around the lab. He was cleaning up a bit as he waited for a few tests to finish and Emily Owens, the swing shift tech for that day to arrive.

Smiling softly, he thought about when they first met yesterday. He'd been enveloped in a tight hug almost immediately and was deafened by her squeaks of how adorable he was. Emily was quite short, standing at only about five foot two but what she lacked in height she made up for in a confidence similar to Presley. Somehow, Emily managed to be more intimidating than the gun-loving Texan but Edd found her darling. He just knew better than to say that to her face.

Amused sapphires noticed the woman strutting through the crowds in the precinct toward the lab, people parting for her without prompting and a wide smile on her face. Her short, tight blonde curls bounced against her cheeks and she waved enthusiastically when she caught Double D's eye. The tall nerd smiled happily and waved back slowly. Once she made it into the room and threw her lab coat on, she gave Edd a tight hug and a bright greeting.

"Afternoon Edd! How has your day been? I heard Pres threw you a welcome party. I'm sorry I couldn't be there I had another engagement that quite honestly, I probably should've just conveniently forgotten about and dealt with the aftermath later. Oh well…anyway you're going to Martha's going away slash baby shower dinner tonight right? Oh, that should be fun! Again, I wish I could go!" Edd continued to smile as Emily spoke quickly, trying to fit as many words into one breath that she could.

Martha at one point said that the rest of the techs had a betting pool of how many words they counted in one breath. So far, the current winner is Axel with an astonishing forty-five words before she took a breath. He even got it on camera. Edd was certain that poor Emily didn't know about it but truly wondered if she'd actually be angry. It seemed that the others were unsure about her reaction despite knowing her longer and still didn't wish to tell her so that spoke volumes to Edd.

"Good afternoon Emily. Yes, the party was lovely and I appreciate the thought but you needn't worry about not going, I understand." Emily smiled and bounced on the balls of her feet lightly, her curls following suit before she moved to the back of the room.

"Well, then I'll take over here so you can head out. Enjoy the dinner!" Edd nodded before he followed after her to clock out. He was grateful that she didn't wish to speak to him longer. He still needed to go get a baby shower gift. Presley had mentioned the party in passing sometime after lunch and demanded that he needed to be there since Martha adored him and he'd readily agreed. It wasn't like he had anyone waiting for him at home anyway.

Shaking his head slightly to get rid of the depressing thoughts trying to break through to the front of his mind, he removed his coat reverently and placed it on its' hook before giving the short woman a slight wave and a smile and walking out of the lab. He checked his phone and saw that he still had an hour and a half to get a gift and get in a quick shower before needing to be at the restaurant. Making his way through the throng of people coming and going from the precinct, Edd smiled, for once truly happy about where he was in life.

His love life might be non-existent, but his work life was appearing to be the best thing that has ever happened to him and he couldn't wait to see what was in store for him in the future. His co-workers were friendly and genuine, but he supposed they were probably just as nerdy as he was. Giggling slightly to himself as he drove down the road to a baby store, Edd thought about how interesting his new colleagues really were.

The first he met of the other techs that worked in his lab was Rordan, a morning and swing shift tech. He was older than Edd by a few years and was a doting father. He met him the day after the incident and was greeted with a strong, pumping handshake and wide smile from the shorter man before immediately gushing over his twelve-year-old daughter Carina. Edd was shown picture after picture of the smiling little girl with her dad and with her soccer ball, her most prized possession. Edd had smiled sweetly as the man threw in a few Spanish pet names for his little girl throughout the showing of the photos.

Tyesha Johnson was the other swing and one of the night shift techs and she stood right at Edd's height. Her dark honey eyes dead even with his sparkling blues and he found it a bit intimidating. But Edd was a bit skittish with new people anyway so he wasn't completely surprised that he squeaked out a greeting when he first met her. Tye wasn't offended by his undignified reception one bit. All she did was laugh, shake his hand with several odd gestures that she demanded he remember before inviting him to her community volleyball leagues' game next week. He'd agreed immediately but sheepishly admitted to now really knowing anything about the game at all. She'd just laughed and swung a rich umber arm around his shoulders and reassured him it didn't matter.

So far though his most interesting introduction was when he met Dakota Reed, the main night shift tech. It was Friday morning and his last day training with Martha. Edd had arrived earlier than the pregnant woman and decided to introduce himself. Laughing quietly, Edd pulled into a spot in the parking lot and turned off the car. The man was a whirlwind and Edd had never met anyone like him, although he had a feeling that Nat was probably similar in craziness.

 _The second Edd walked through the door he heard Dakota singing at the top of his lungs along with a pop song Edd wasn't too familiar with. Now, Edd would never judge anyone for their interests but he won't deny that it caught him off guard enough for him to freeze in place, letting the door swing shut behind him. The shorter man was dancing around the back of the room, going from machine to computer to machine and back, not even noticing the stunned Edd._

 _His rainbow-colored hair was styled in a faded undercut with his hair brushed straight to one side. He had an industrial piercing with multiple rainbow-colored balls on his exposed left ear and had dark eyeliner surrounding his amused grey eyes that had locked with Edd's. The man was still frozen in place when Dakota turned off the music and made his way over to him and stuck his hand out._

 _"Hey, I'm Dakota, and yes I'm fabulously gay." Edd blinked before a bright red blush covered his face completely. The heat from it making him feel more embarrassed. The shorter man wore a large smirk but Edd noticed the note of apprehension in the others' eyes. Smiling reassuringly, he gripped the man's hand firmly._

 _"G-Good morning, I'm Eddward, um, and m-me too." Dakota grinned widely at Edd's introduction before pulling him into a one-armed hug._

 _"Awesome! So, like out-out?" he asked as he walked Edd to the computer to clock in. The slight hesitation from Edd must have been answer enough for Dakota because he turned to Edd and nodded, a soft, 'I understand' leaving his lips before he began firing impersonal question after question at the nervous man._

Edd was overjoyed to work with someone like Dakota. He wasn't an overly flamboyant gay man like Dakota seemed to be so it was hard to make friends like that for Edd. He didn't have any at all honestly. Edd wasn't exactly hiding his sexuality either though. If someone asked he wouldn't deny it but he'd never really been all that interested in dating generally. He had a few but they never lasted long as Edd wanted to focus on his classes, on his internship. That and Edd wasn't really a party guy either, though that is no surprise.

Getting out of the car, Edd made his way into the large baby department store. Immediately he was hit with the smell of baby powder and wipes and a high-pitched squeal of someone's baby somewhere at the back of the store assaulted his ears. It amazed him that such a small human being could have that kind of lung capacity and range. Looking around him, Edd felt a wave of confusion sweep through him. What, exactly, did one buy for an expectant mother anyway? Nervously wringing his hands in front of him, Edd chose to wander around for a bit to see if maybe something stood out. But after about fifteen minutes of pacing up and down aisles filled with baby things, Edd stopped and sighed.

"Double D? Is that you?" Bewildered, Edd turned around only to lock eyes with an openly surprised and obviously pregnant Nazz. Edd's eyes widened and his mouth fell open slightly but before he could say anything the woman squealed happily and pulled him into a very tight hug.

"Dude! I had no idea you were back in town! Oh, it's so good to see you Double D!" she squeaked, still squeezing the life out of the man. Edd awkwardly raised a hand to gently tap her back, hoping it would make her release his arms and body but all it did was make her hug him tighter.

"G-Greetings Nazz, h-how have you been?" He aimed an awkward smile down at her when she pulled back slightly with a large smile.

"Oh, Double D, still so polite." she giggled and finally released the man. Edd took in a deep breath as Nazz ran a gentle hand seemingly unconsciously over her enlarged belly. "I've been great! Just counting down the days before this little one is born. Honestly, I've been a bit bored lately since my doctor told me to take it easy." Edd nodded politely.

"So, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you have a kid?" She said a teasing grin adorning her lips.

"Oh, um no, I'm looking for a gift for a coworker. She's expecting." Nazz nodded in understanding. Silence followed for a moment before an idea came to Edd. He would ask Nazz!

"Um, to be honest, I am not entirely sure what would be an appropriate gift," he started but didn't need to finish. Nazz smiled widely at him then took his hand, exclaiming happily that she would love to help him. They wandered a few aisles as Nazz looked around.

"So where do you work? Have you moved back?" Edd nodded but since the blonde woman was in front of him and couldn't see his gesture he coughed lightly before speaking.

"Um, y-yes. I did move back. I work at the Peach Creek Police Department as a Forensic -,"

"You do!? Really? You know, Kevin is a Detective there!" she spun around, excitement clear on her face. There was a sparkle in her teal eyes that Edd wasn't sure he knew what it meant but he nodded.

"Y-Yes, we have spoken -,"

"Kevin knew you were back and didn't tell me?" She pouted as her lips protruded slightly and she crossed her arms over her chest. "So mean! How long has he known? He's going to pay for not telling me immediately!" Edd chuckled quietly at how upset Nazz seemed.

"Only about five days Nazz."

"That's too long!" Nazz squeaked as she stopped to look at some onesies, Double D following a slight smile adorning his lips as the woman continued to talk. They continued to walk the store looking around at things as Nazz pulled a few items for herself.

"I'm assuming this is for Martha then right?" She asked looking at a couple different boxes of diapers. Edd nodded in response when she glanced at him before continuing to peruse the multitude of diaper brands.

"Okay, do you know if she's having a boy or girl?" She asked off-handed as she pulled a box of diapers off the shelf and turned it around inspecting it.

"I, actually do not know." Edd frowned slightly, he should've asked but he doesn't have any of his coworkers' numbers…except Kevin but would Kevin know?

"Okay, that's no problem! Here," she said handing a box of diapers and a package of wipes to him, "You can never go wrong with this for sure but there are a few gender-neutral things you can get her too so let's go look!" The befuddled scientist followed slowly behind the woman. Nazz hasn't changed all that much over the years. Still sweet and cool and Edd found that refreshing. He'd always thought Nazz was a nice person.

They stopped by some burp cloths and bibs and Nazz grabbed a few before showing Edd to pick from. He ended up taking about two packs of burp cloths and one bib to add to the diapers and wipes already in his hands. Passing a rack of clearance items Edd spotted a onesie with a picture of an atom with the caption 'Never trust an atom, they make up everything'. He couldn't help but chuckle at the small article of clothing, so he grabbed it as well, hoping Martha would appreciate the joke. Nazz continued to gush over how much she adored one of the bibs and ended up buying one for herself once they made it up to the registers. After they checked out, Edd walked Nazz to her car and helped her load her purchases into the backseat

"So, since you're back we have to get together at some point! I'll talk to Kevin but I'm sure you have to go now right?" Edd smiled politely and nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. It was wonderful seeing you again Nazz and thank you for the help. I really appreciate it." A gentle smile fell on Nazz's lips before she pulled Double D into a sweet hug.

"It's was awesome to see you too Double D. Have fun!" she said softly before turning to get into her car. Double D gently helped her in then softly shut the door for her before waving slightly and walking to his own car. He placed his purchases in the front passenger seat and started the car. After returning home, he left the car in the driveway and quickly made his way into his home. He had about forty-five minutes to wrap the gifts and take a quick shower and change to arrive on time at the restaurant.

So, he quickly went to what was once his old room and found wrapping paper and a gift bag and set about wrapping the diapers as perfectly as he could before arranging the other items in the bag and placing tissue paper over it. Once he was satisfied with it he rushed to his bathroom and turned the water in the shower to warm. Grabbing a change of clothes from his closet and putting his hair up into a ponytail after removing his beanie, he jumped in the shower to quickly wash his body.

His phone began beeping softly once Edd had stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped tightly around his body signaling he had twenty minutes left. He dried off quickly and changed into a pair of nice black jeans that fit a little loose so Edd roped a belt through the loops and pulled them snug. He pulled on a red button-up which he left loose around his waist, it was a semi-casual dinner after all. Edd smiled slightly as he loosened the ponytail a little so it sat at the base of his neck and replaced the beanie before leaving the room and grabbing the presents on the way out. He made it back into the car leaving him with plenty of time to get to the restaurant and not be considered late.

A nervous smile tugged at his lips. This would be the first time he's ever gone out with coworkers and he was excited. It would be nice to see how everyone was outside of work. Were they more wild or did they act the same? Edd sighed happily, either way, he was happy that they had included him in their plans and he wanted nothing more than to have that continue.

"Oh Edd! You came!" Martha exclaimed as she tried hard to squeeze Edd to her once he arrived at the restaurant. Edd smiled politely, patting her on the back gently with one hand. When she pulled back she beamed up at him, her purple hair arranged neatly out of her face. He glanced behind her into the small banquet room to see who all had arrived to find that he was only second to Lillian who was arranging a few gifts on a table off to the side of the room.

"Of course Martha, I wouldn't miss this." He smiled happily as the short woman eagerly pulled him further into the room. There was a long table surrounded by about twelve chairs in the middle of the room. Lillian had put up a couple of banners, one saying 'Congratulations!' and the other had 'We'll Miss You!'. Edd felt a mild rush of guilt go through him for taking her position but Martha had assured him earlier in the week that she wants to stay at home. He offered the gifts he'd carefully wrapped to the woman with a shy smile.

"Oh, Edd, you didn't have to get me anything!"

"I wanted to. It's also a thank you. For everything." Martha sniffled a little before gently taking the gift. The two smiled at each other before she led him to the chair on the end of the right side of the table. After insisting that he sit, Lillian came over and took the present from the emotional woman just as a few others arrived. Martha wobbled over to great them all, leaving Edd alone.

It wasn't long before most of the people arrived apart from two people, but Edd wasn't sure who all was invited anyway. Presley sat heavily down in the chair to Edd's right just as Dakota came up behind him giving the startled newbie a hug before taking a seat next to Presley. Edd couldn't keep the smile off his face as he was greeted happily by Rordan and Tyesha as they came through the double doors together and chatted with him for a moment before taking their own seats at the other end of the table. When Martha stood to greet everyone is when the last arrived, and Edd wasn't sure why he didn't expect them. Nat stumbled through the door laughing at something that must have happened.

"Hey! You two are late!" yelled Presley as everyone laughed good-naturedly at the two acting like kids as they stuck their tongues out at a grinning Presley. Martha smiled at them as they sat in the only two empty seats, with Kevin on Edd's left and Nat between Axel and Kevin before speaking.

"I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for pitching in to throw me this lovely dinner. You guys have always been like family to me and I'll miss you every single day, but I'm ready to be a mom." She said tearfully, "It's been a long and hard journey and I really appreciate all of the last-minute schedule changes you all did for me while I was struggling with growing this stubborn child!" A low gurgle of chuckles went around the room.

"I hope that now, you all will show Edd the same respect and love you all have shown me," she gave a smirk to everyone, "cause all that kid has to do is call me if you're acting juvenile!" She laughed sending her smirk toward Nat and Kevin, then Presley and Dakota. A deep red settled on Edd's cheeks and flowed down his neck from the acknowledgement. "All right! Let's party!" Cheers erupted in the room, Nat, Dakota, and Presley being the loudest, before a couple of waiters came into the room to begin getting drink orders.

One of the waiters walked up to Edd with a flirting smile adorning his lips. He towered over the scientist but didn't look at all imposing. His light blonde hair fell lightly into his steely eyes as he looked down the slight curve of his nose at a lightly blushing Edd. It was obvious the man was muscular, Edd could see his sleeve struggling to contain the massive biceps of his arms and his broad shoulders stretched the clean white button-up shirt taut in the front.

"Hey there, my name is Daniel, what can I get you?" he asked, voice low and charming. Double D noticed the flirtatious note in his voice but didn't really think much of it. The man was surely like this with all his customers so Edd smiled back shyly in response.

"Um, just a water for me please," he said softly making the man lean closer to hear him properly. The waiter didn't seem bothered to be a bit closer to him based on the softening of his smile.

"You sure that's all you want?" Daniel asked coyly before a loud thump startled them both. Two pairs of surprised eyes met the harsh glare of emerald eyes and a pair of amused gold ones.

"Sorry," Kevin said flatly. Edd's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing full well that Kevin was not at all apologetic.

* * *

Kevin didn't remove his gaze from the annoyed waiter's, silently challenging him to do or say anything Kevin didn't like. It wasn't until the waiter had excused himself and left the room that Kevin realized what he'd just done. Despite the conversation in the room continuing through the standoff between him and the waiter, he saw that everyone else sent him questioning glances, and a few smirks.

He didn't care though. Sure, he was a little embarrassed. He'd acting without thinking. But that guy was obviously flirting with Edd! Kevin didn't like the vibe he got from the guy so he felt he was justified. Right? Rubbing the back of his neck slightly he cleared his throat and glanced at Double D's inquisitive stare.

"S-So, uh," Kevin started, ignoring the jab to his ribs from Nat as he tried to think of something to say to Edd to break the tension he'd created. He glared half-heartedly at Presley from across the table as she smirked at him, though not once stopping her conversation with Dakota. He wasn't sure what to say if he was honest. The two didn't really have anything in common except maybe the similarities in their jobs so what could he possibly talk about with Edd?

"Kevin, are you okay?" Flicking his gaze up, his eyes stared at the slight frown pulling at Edd's lips before he dragged them further to take in Edd's eyes scrunched up in concern. Sighing slightly Kevin nodded, not wanting speak in case he said something stupid or hurtful. Kevin may be older but that didn't mean he wasn't still a bit impulsive. He didn't always think before reacting to a situation. Obviously, because when he saw the waiter flirting shamelessly with Double D, Kevin got pissed.

It was stupid to react the way he did. The two didn't have a relationship other than coworkers, maybe tentative friends. But Kevin had most definitely noticed how gorgeous Double D looked the second he walked into the room. He'd paused for only a mere moment before Nat teased Kevin about blushing and the annoyed redhead pushed him through the doors.

Kevin couldn't remember ever seeing Double D with his hair up off his shoulders and it was, unfortunately, a problem for Kevin when he noticed the pale expanse of skin underneath the soft raven hair when the dork finally looked away. Another jab to his ribs made him turn a soft glare to Nat, who wasn't even paying attention to him, so Kevin slumped a bit in his chair and mildly watched Double D conversing with Presley and Dakota.

He watched his eyes sparkle with happiness, true happiness, and this made Kevin smile softly. The last time he'd seen Double D this happy was when he found out he was valedictorian of their graduating class, though, that wasn't much of a surprise. Either way, Kevin was glad to see that the sadness he usually saw wasn't present at the current moment. Although, he wasn't sure why it made him feel all hot and fuzzy inside, but he also was choosing to ignore the feelings in his gut. No reason to freak out the kid now with his weird impulsiveness, right?

Why was it so hard to ignore the nerd though? Kevin had never once thought of Edd in a romantic sense so why now? He could continue believing it was his mind playing tricks on him because it's been so long since he's been with anyone, but he felt in his gut that this wasn't the truth.

A cute huffy, giggle escaped Double D's lips at something Dakota had said, and Kevin then made up his mind. He wasn't going to deny what his body was telling him. It was obvious that two out of three things agreed: his heart and body against his head. He would start slow then, become friends with the adorable dork and see if maybe something develops between them. Might as well right?

Kevin smiled then punched Nat in the shoulder before jumping into his conversation with Axel. His mind was made up and it felt like a significant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe he was stressing a bit too much over this but he wasn't overly fond of change, so it was to be expected he supposed.

The evening progressed smoothly. The stupid waiter that was flirting with Double D refused to go near him again after Kevin gave him another stare down. Martha looked to be overjoyed at the gifts everyone got her including Edd's adorable onesie and Nat's ridiculously inappropriate baby doll nightie for "sexy times" as he yelled obnoxiously when she'd pulled the baby blue fabric from the bag. The cake that Lillian had made was absolutely delicious.

And Edd. Kevin smiled wide at the delighted look on the man's face. He looked so happy which made Kevin's heart flutter obnoxiously, but he didn't mind it, instead he welcomed it. It felt great. And when those sparkly blues smiled sweetly at Kevin in return, he knew he was a goner and he loved every second of that realization.

Once things wound down, Kevin, Axel, and Rordan all helped Martha get all her gifts and the leftover cake into her car while the others all said well wishes. Lillian and Mel then left toward a car at the other side of the parking lot, Axel following soon after giving Martha a big hug. Rordan and Tyesha were the next to leave followed closely by Lillian and Sheridan.

"Okay miss lady I'mma head out too, gotta go relieve Em," Dakota smiled as the slightly shorter woman pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thank you for coming sweetheart. Take care of Edd alright?" she whispered as she pulled back. Grey eyes searched hers inquisitively, unsure of why she would request that, but he nodded anyway then turned to leave as Martha turned to the last three.

"So, what are you two children up to?" she demanded, hands on her hips, mom stare already locked on Kevin and Nat.

"We've gotta head to a stakeout now," Kevin replied as Nat groaned loudly.

"Yeah, at The Warehouse of all places!" Martha's forehead creased in concern and disapproval, but she didn't voice whatever was going through her mind. Even so, the two Detectives knew her enough to know what she wanted to say.

"We'll be careful, Martha, promise," Kevin smiled reassuringly, a smile Nat mirrored. She gave a small smile then turned her attention to Double D.

"Now, Edd, if you need anything at all, just call me okay? I'd be happy to help. And don't let these two bully you! They can act like children sometimes, so you may need to be the adult," she smirked and ignored the cries of outrage from the two. Edd smiled knowingly.

"I understand what you're saying. Not to worry Martha, I'll do my best to keep them in line," he smiled sweetly but Kevin saw the little twitch in the corner of his mouth. It was small and very subtle, but Kevin knew that Double D was trying hard not to smirk back at his little joke. Kevin chuckled lightly and pulled Martha into a hug.

"You take care Martha, call if you need anything alright?" Kevin said. Martha nodded against his chest and sniffled a little.

"I will," she breathed deeply trying to keep her emotions at bay, "and you take care of each other. Don't do stupid crap alright? I already worry about you two enough as it is." Kevin laughed and nodded. He didn't promise her anything and she didn't want him too. She hugged Nat and Edd next and waved as the scientist headed off to his car and Nat headed in the opposite direction. Kevin helped Martha into her car and went to shut the door when she stopped him.

"Kevin," she asked apprehension in her voice, "I don't know how you know Edd but please keep an eye on him for me? I don't mean to be rude but - ," Kevin nodded knowingly.

"I know Martha, that kid's gotta permanent 'kick me' sign attached to his back," he gave a slight smile to reassure her. She smiled sadly but chuckled a little as she nodded.

"Yeah, something like that. He's a sweet kid, perhaps a bit too sweet but he's amazing at what he does." Kevin nodded in agreement.

"That is very true. Now you head on home Martha, get some rest, I'm sure you're exhausted." The woman laughed and shut the car door. Kevin watched her leave the parking lot, made sure that Edd wasn't still there, then headed to the car and got in.

"I saw everything!" Nat yelled the second Kevin shut the door. Kevin rolled his eyes as he started the engine.

"Yeah I know, and I don't care." Nat stared at him in mild shock before a smile twisted his lips.

"You've decided to give it a go?"

"Yep."

"You thought he was hot?"

"Oh yeah."

"Wanna practice with m - ow!"

"Not on your life asshole." Laughter filled the car as they drove off toward the east side of town.

* * *

Okay, so I know it has been over a year since the last update. I sincerely apologize for that. Literally 2 days after I posted the last chapter I found out I was pregnant with my beautiful rainbow baby. It was a very difficult pregnancy. I had to quit work, had lots of issues, and was told to try and take it easy. I wasn't really able to nor had the motivation to write during that time as I was also busy trying to get the nursery in order. I did have this chapter nearly done but I didn't like it and every time I re-read it, it just never seemed right.

And now that my son is almost 8 months, he's FINALLY sleeping through the night and taking regular naps! Yay! So, I now have the time and have a renewed motivation to continue with this story! I hope I didn't lose too many of you because of my impromptu hiatus but I swear I'm back! Updates with not be as frequent as it was before but I'll do my best to fix that over time!

Thank you and I really appreciate all of you who have stuck with this story! I'm also sorry this chapter isn't as long, I will make it up to you with the next one, I promise!


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